A breath of fresh air: Georgia producers chip away at a potential silicosis problem

Concrete Producer, The, Nov, 2004 by Rick Yelton

This concentrated effort to research the silica problems is a first step in a long road to create better working conditions in the ready-mixed concrete industry, says Swierenga.

You can view the 15-minute training movie flora the Georgia Tech Research Institute in cooperation with the Environmental and Safety committee of the Georgia Concrete & Products Association at www.oshainfo.gatech.edu.

You can leant more on how the OSHA consultation process works by reviewing "Partnering in Safety" in the May 1998 issue of The Concrete Producer. It outlines the effort of the Illinois Ready Mixed Concrete Association to develop the preliminary research of silicosis. Visit www.worldofconcrete.com to read it. Click on THE CONCRETE PRODUCER logo which will then takes you to the magazine's home page, where you can search our article archives.

Part of the Team

On this warm summer afternoon in Atlanta, Abel Ramirez prowls his work area like a cat on a hot tin roof. As the foreman for his crew of four chippers, he takes the responsibility to pre-check today's jobsite. He makes sure his team members are properly dressed before entering the drums. And he makes sure the trucks are properly locked out before giving permission to his crew to enter the drums.

Ramirez searches for potential problems. Following his company's stringent job safety analysis program, he monitors everything from proper lockout, checking for trip fall hazards, and properly wearing personal protection equipment.

"I've been chipping for five years, and each day presents a new challenge," says Ramirez. He believes the increased emphasis on chipping safety has not only made his job safer, but has helped others recognize that his profession is a highly specialized skill.

According to Jeff Taylor, president of Coast 2 Coast, a Petersburg, Ky., chipping contractor, his company's adoption of the methods identified in the Georgia Tech Research Institute effort yielded great results. Since adopting the new procedures, Taylor has discovered that producers have helped to provide a safer working environment, which hasn't necessarily decreased productivity. "Our crews now spend more time in preparation, but seem to be more efficient while in the drum," says Taylor.

Taylor credits this to carefully examining the alternative methods reports. He and his crew leaders have focused on using respirators, which supply air to the worker. Each worker is now outfitted with a chipping uniform that combines head protection with the respirator. With the proper equipment, Taylor's crews use a high-tech system that protects them not only from the dust created in the clean-out, but from the potential dangers from the equipment itself.

The equipment has extra filtration devices to ensure that oil mist, particulates, and excess moisture are removed from the air. The system also includes a carbon monoxide monitor to make sure the air supply does not contain this poisonous, odorless gas. Since many of his five crews work in very hot conditions, Taylor has equipped his teams with special air cooling tubes, often called "vortex" tubes.