Source: American Concrete Pumping Association, Lewis Center, Ohio
With a World of Concrete 2025 backdrop, the American Concrete Pumping Association announced the Coworker Safety Training Program, geared for 55,000-plus contractors in the U.S. who work with and around concrete pumps. The program is on track for a spring launch and represents another milestone in an ACPA initiative to build a more educated, safer workforce. The curriculum consists of five online learning modules with short, engaging videos and follow-up quizzes. Topics cover hose handling, setup, on-the-job procedures, delivery systems and hazards. Participants can complete each module at their own pace, with the entire course taking roughly one hour.
Developed in collaboration with the American Society of Concrete Contractors, Coworker Safety Training fills critical gaps in existing offerings and provides certificates of completion to successful candidates. The certificates enable contractors to demonstrate compliance with the education component of ASME B30.27, the safety standard for material placement systems.
“ASME B30.27 outlines job site responsibilities for each trade working with and around concrete pumps,” said ACPA Executive Director Christi Collins. “When employees and partners are trained to understand their roles under the standard, it not only makes job sites safer but also supports effective risk management and reduces liability.”
“One of ASCC’s goals is to make our members the safest concrete contractors in the industry,” added ASCC Director of Safety Services Joe Whiteman, who helped develop the curriculum and training modules as part of a joint ACPA/ASCC committee. “Recognizing the significant hazards associated with hose handling and working around pumps, we partnered with ACPA to create a practical, impactful learning tool.”
Finishing crews and hose handlers are in some of the most dangerous positions around concrete pumps. Accidents and injuries can result from many factors, seen and unseen, such as a plug or separation of material in the pipeline. “Many times, end users of concrete pumps come to job sites with limited knowledge of site conditions and no previous experience or training with a pump,” noted Western Concrete Pumping National Safety Director Greg Key, who co-chaired the joint ACPA/ASCC committee.
Coworker Safety Training will be available via the ACPA University platform, an online learning management system that offers access to industry-leading education and skills training. Members can create their own individualized branches of ACPA-U, which allows them to set up learning paths for their employees—with each employee’s progression greatly simplified and highly visible to key leadership. Training is available on demand, with records accessible anytime. ACPA certification records also will be stored on the user’s profile.
The new program ties into the broader goals of an industrywide initiative that brings heightened awareness of ASME B30.27 – Material Placement Systems. Understanding and complying with the trade-specific job site responsibilities prescribed under the standard helps ensure the safety of every person on a concrete pumping job site. The We Are Safer Together campaign is spearheaded by ACPA with ASCC, Concrete Foundations Association, Tilt-Up Concrete Association, Concrete Pump Manufacturers Association and World of Concrete show management support. — www.concretepumpers.com/content/safety