TOOLBOX TOPICS

No. 74

CONCRETE, FORMS, AND SHORING

 

1. Employees working more than 6 feet above adjacent surfaces and involved in rebar tying or placing must have a safety belt or equivalent device.

 

2. Employees must be protected when working above vertically protruding reinforcing steel.

 

3. Reinforcing steel for vertical structure must be guyed and supported to prevent collapse.

 

4. Wire mesh rolls should be prevented from recoiling by securing them at each end.

 

5. Concrete mixers with one yard or larger loading skips should have a mechanical device to clear the skip of material. Guardrails on each side of the skip are required on mixers of one yard of greater capacity.

 

6. Bull float handles should be nonconductive when used where they may contact energized electrical conductors.

 

7. Manually guided, power and rotating type concrete travels must have dead man type switches.

 

8. Handles of concrete buggies should not extend beyond the wheels of either side.

 

9. Concrete buckets equipped with hydraulic or pneumatic gates require positive safety latches or equivalent. Riding concrete buckets is prohibited. Concrete should not be suspended over vibrator crews.

 

10. The wheels of concrete trucks discharging on slopes should be blocked.

 

11. All shoring shall be inspected before erection, and immediately prior to, during, and immediately after concrete placement.

 

12. Metal tubular shoring frames must not be used for loads in excess of manufacturer's recommendations and shall be in good working condition.

 

13. Drawings showing jack layout, framework, shoring, working decks, and scaffolding should be present on the job site.

 

14. Stripped forms should be removed and stockpiled promptly. The hazards caused by protruding nails and other accessories must be eliminated. .

 

15. The imposition of any construction loads on partially completed structures is not allowed unless considered in the design and approved by the engineer-architect.

 

16. Vertical slip form jacks and supports must be positioned so that loads are equally distributed and do not exceed the capacity of the jacks. Lifting should proceed steadily and uniformly. All vertical lift forms require scaffolding or work platforms completely encircling the area of placement. All shoring equipment must be inspected and in good, safe working condition.

 

17. Single post shores must be braced as erected. The layout for single posts shores used in more than one tier must be designed and inspected by a structural engineer. Defective shores must not be used.