When Bad things happen to good operators...
Todd 12-19-2014
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Construction workers at Lismore Base Hospital were lucky to escape uninjured when a concrete pumping truck toppled over at about 7.10 am this morning.

Lismore police Inspector Susie Johnson said workers were operating the truck remotely, extending the boom and moving the stabilising legs on the vehicle, in preparation to pour a concrete slab when the incident happened.

The construction site has been shut down and will be inspected by Com Care officials and engineers.

The truck will remain on its side until inspections are completed.

Construction on stage 3 of the hospital is expected to resume in the New Year.

 

http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/concrete-truck-topples-over-at-hospital/2490603/

 


Todd 12-20-2014
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This is a good company and they operate a very professional operation and have over 24 pumps.
The operator was setting up and was about to adjust the end delivery hose.
The crane driver informed him that it would be better if they placed a steel plate 
under the rear outrigger as the ground was not reliable.(this was great help from the site crew, as they wanted to make sure that there was a safe working base)
The operator, who has over 25 years experience, obliged and closed the left rear 
outrigger so they could place the steel plate. While the plate was being installed the operator went back to continue to set up the end reducer and deliver hose with the safety chains.
Than he was informed that the steel plate was put in place. He forgot that the rear outrigger was closed and from the front of the truck, he started slewing the boom to a catastrophic end......the operator was shattered as he had never had an accident before. The fact that he changed his routine and started doing something out of the norm caused his lapse 
of concentration....the moral is : SAFETY CHECKS AND PROCEDURES are important, but when routines are changed, the whole SET UP procedure has to be gone through again. A walk around the truck would have prevented this from happening.  A lesson for all of us.

Dipstick 12-20-2014
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A bit doubtfull this story about how a good operator this is. If it was a rookey we would all say he made a very dumb mistake.. If you pull in a legg with your boom in the air.. How can you forget that??


Todd 12-20-2014
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Like almost anything, scuba diving, dirt bikes and concrete pumps it is the guys who are pros who get hurt the most. When your new you are super super careful but once your a pro things become old hat and you stress much less. That is when the mistake happens.


putzman1975 12-20-2014
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i dont think todd.there more to this than he just forgot.and we never going to know.


Dipstick 12-20-2014
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There is a lot of truth in that yes Todd.. But than again a real pro knows this so he kicks himself from time to time to stay awake Wink  But I have to be carefull what I say. I have ony been pumping for about 12 years so a lot can happen still Embarassed


PUMBO 12-21-2014
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If what the operator says is the truth, this is inexcusable. If the alarm was initially raised about the ground being unstable, the operator should of been right on that outrigger while slewing on the loaded side regarless on what was under the outrigger pad.


pumpon 12-21-2014
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I thought everdigm have been one sided support ?


Dipstick 12-21-2014
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Besides. I would never let the customer fix my dunnage without having controll over it myself. He should have been right there on the spot watching how they put that steel plate down for him. The title of this thread should rather be:

 

When Bad things happen to NICE operators.. not good..

Also a bad example to sort of try to talk this right. Someone might think its normal to make this kind of mistake once in a while... 


Captain Ron 12-21-2014
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25 years is a long time w/o an accident. Too bad that streak ended there. I'd say the operator should have put his remote down and  stayed by his outrigger and watched the plate get installed. Then he would have to return to his remote before he does anything. BUT I can't be too critical here. It was a mistake- yes a mistake that should not have been made . Yes he paid dearly for his mistake. I believe he is "crushed" but the best news was no one was hurt.

I can't cast a stone at someone who  owns his mistake. I can only hope I don't have to ever hear of another one...especially one with my name on it. 

Thank you Todd for reminding us all that everyday there is a possibility that a good operator can make a mistake and that we all should have a safe routine that we follow and if it gets interrupted we deal with the interruption completely and return to our routine.


Beast 12-22-2014
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I had a guy with 30+ years of experience do something similar 2 years ago, we are aall human and are prone to mistakes, I hope this shows everyone mistakes can happen to anyone , doesn't matter if you've ran a pump 2 weeks or 30 years , if you get out of routine we have to double and triple check to make sure all safeguards are in place.