CHAPTER 4

HANDLING CONCRETE
CONTENT
HANDLING CONCRETE
Identification of hazards
Concrete placing by direct discharge, excavator
and crane
Concrete pumping
Concrete curing
INTRODUCTION
Concretes versatility, durability,
and economy have made it the
worlds most used construction
material.
The U.S. uses about 180 million
cubic meters (240 million cubic
yards) of ready-mixed concrete
each year.
It is used in highways, streets,
parking lots, parking garages,
bridges, high-rise buildings,
dams, homes, floors, sidewalks,
driveways, and numerous other
applications.
INTRODUCTION
Concrete and cement are not
the same thing; cement is one
of a component of concrete.
Cement, usually in powder
form, acts as a binding agent
when mixed with water and
aggregates.
This combination, or concrete
mix, will be poured and harden
into the durable material with
which we are all familiar.
INTRODUCTION
Concrete is made up of three basic
components:
water,
aggregate (rock, sand, or gravel) and
Portland cement.
INTRODUCTION
Portland Cement - The cement and water form a
paste that coats the aggregate and sand in the
mix. The paste hardens and binds the aggregates
and sand together.
Water- Water is needed to chemically react with
the cement (hydration) and too provide
workability with the concrete. The amount of
water in the mix in pounds compared with the
amount of cement is called the water/cement
ratio. The lower the w/c ratio, the stronger the
concrete. (higher strength, less permeability)
Aggregates- Sand is the fine aggregate. Gravel
or crushed stone is the coarse aggregate in most
IDENTIFICATION OF
HAZARD
The current trend in construction-
related injuries is decreasing. This
trend is most likely due to increased
awareness of the potential risks
surrounding construction jobsites.
The concrete industry boasts one of
the lower jobsite-injury rates, but it is
not necessarily the concrete that
presents the greatest risk.
An understanding of the potential risks
of concrete construction and proper
training is necessary for limiting the
number of concrete construction-
related injuries.
IDENTIFICATION OF
HAZARD
Construction jobsites are full of hazards, and
concrete construction jobsites are no exception.
These hazards can be dissected into categories for
better reference as they pertain to various projects.
Types of hazard includes:-
Material Hazard
Machinery
Tools
Height
Construction Practices
Jobsite Conditions
IDENTIFICATION OF
HAZARD
(i) Material Hazards
Cement comprises 7-15% of total concrete volume.
As an alkaline material, wet cement is caustic, and can cause severe chemical burns to
exposed skin and eyes.
Working with fresh concrete presents an obvious risk.
It is so important to always wear water-proof gloves, a long-sleeved shirt, full-length
trousers, and proper eye protection.
Water-proof boots must be high enough to keep concrete from flowing into if the
workers need to stand in wet concrete,
Wet concrete, mortar, cement, or cement mixtures must be washed immediately from
skin.
Flush eyes with clean water immediately after contact.
Indirect contact through clothing can be as serious as direct contact, so promptly rinse
out wet concrete, mortar, cement or cement mixtures from clothing. And always seek
immediate medical attention if you have persistent or severe discomfort.
In addition to the caustic nature of cement, 95% of cement particles are smaller than
45 m.compared to tobacco smoke of approximately 3 msuggesting that the
danger of inhalation is possible. Workers opening bags or sacks of cement and cement
products should always wear a dust mask in addition to their regular safety attire.
IDENTIFICATION OF
HAZARD
(ii) Machinery Hazard
Rotating machinery is always a source of potential injury
on a jobsite.
Early-entry saws, concrete/masonry saws, cut-off saws,
and power trowels pose a threat to appendages when used
improperly. In addition, any sustained or sudden noise
above 85 decibels emanating from machinery can be
damaging to the ear.
Hydraulic jacks used in shoring, compressed air and
hydraulic concrete pumps, belt conveyors, welding
equipment, post-tensioning jacks, demolition devices, and
other equipment also create potential hazards on a
concrete construction site.
IDENTIFICATION OF HAZARD
(iii) Tools
Besides the mechanized saws and power trowels
listed above, sharp-edged trowels, hammers,
chisels, utility knives, etc. can be dangerous if used
carelessly or incorrectly.
Long-handled bull floats, when used near utility
wires, can even be dangerous.
(iv)Height
The number-one leading cause of construction-
related injuries and fatalities is attributed to falls
from height.
Sources of height associated with concrete
construction include but are not limited to
scaffolding, ladders, bucket-trucks, catwalks,
elevated or wall forms, and elevated floors.
Owners, managers, contractors, and laborers should
IDENTIFICATION OF
HAZARD
(v) Construction Practices
The use of cranes for lifting and placing concrete buckets, for tilt-up
concrete panels, and for lifting precast members present hazards to the
finishers and erectors.
Concrete pumping, hydro-demolition, or shotcreteing operations where
high pressures are generated in hoses prompt safety concerns for the
nozzlemen.
Reinforcement construction can demand heavy materials, protruding
steel, oxyacetylene torches or welding equipment, and height sources,
each of which introduces a safety hazard either singularly or in any
combination.
Post-tensioning operations impart stresses nearly equal to the yield
strength of prestressing tendons which can be 250,000 psi. Such forces
are dangerous to jack-operators or on-looking personnel.
Precast plants with heavy table forms, consolidation equipment, and
curing rooms must follow safety procedures.
IDENTIFICATION OF
HAZARD
(vi) Jobsite Conditions
The general condition of the jobsite can also
be hazardous.
Cramped, confined projects or sections of a
project affect operations and safety.
Locations exposed to traffic, utility wires,
excavations, or hazardous materials can
produce unsafe conditions.
Even weather (ie: snow, ice, rain, standing
water, heat) can result directly in injury or
combine with another risk to inflict injury to
IDENTIFICATION OF
HAZARD
Prevention
Equipme
Personal Jobsite
nt
Protectio Protectio
Protectio
n n
n
Prevention
Personal Protection
Hardhats and hearing
protection are always
necessary on a construction
site when overhead hazards
and loud or sustained noise
is present.
When working with cement,
sand, or any other fine
material, the use of a
respirator is necessary.
Prevention
Equipment Protection
All equipment should be properly maintained and equipped
with manufacturer-recommended safety devices.
Disabling or removing safety devices is dangerous and
should be avoided.
All unsafe or inoperable equipment should be marked as
such to prevent further use of the equipment.
All workers should be trained and tested by the manager or
superintendent before operating any equipment (from drills
to backhoes).
Knowledge of the hazards associated with specific
equipment is the first line of defense against injury.
Prevention
Jobsite Protection
Responsibility of the manager to provide a
safe jobsite for workers.
The manager or superintendent should ensure
that potential hazards at the project site are
identified and corrected or, at minimum, made
known to employees.
HAZARD PROFILE IN CONCRETE
PLACEMENT
Refer to Appendix 1- concrete placement hazard profile
CONCRETE PLACING
Normal concrete weighs
approximately 68kg@150 pound
per cubic foot and should be
placed as near as possible to its
final position.
Excess handling can cause
segregation of the course and
fine aggregates.
Wetting up the concrete to ensure
that it can be raked or pushed
into a location far from where it is
discharged is not acceptable.
CONCRETE PLACING
Concrete is poured directly from
the chute of the ready mix truck,
wheeled into place with a buggy,
or pumped into place with a
concrete boom pump.
Concrete is normally specified at
a 4-5" slump.
Industrial, commercial, and some
residential projects require an
inspector on concrete pours who
monitors the concrete slump and
takes slump measurements at the
required intervals.
CONCRETE PLACING
The smooth delivery of concrete to the job-site
is critical.
Delays in the delivery of the concrete or during
the placement operation may cause problems
that are time consuming and costly to resolve.
The field Technician, the Contractor, and the
concrete plant Technician are required to work
together to ensure the correct concrete is
delivered on time and in the necessary
quantities.
SITE PREPARATION FOR CONCRETE
PLACING
The Technician is required to ensure that the site has been
adequately prepared for concrete placement. Such preparations
include that:
1) Excavations have been dewatered
2) Forms have been checked for adequate bracing and proper
elevations and alignment
3) Chamfer strips have been installed and are in good shape
4) Trash and debris have been removed from all forms
5) Reinforcement has been tied securely and checked for
proper clearance and spacing
6) The Contractor has adequate manpower and equipment to
handle the pour to include a sufficient number of vibrators
and backups.
 Chamfer strips
Chamfer strip is a triangular strip of wood,
nailed to concrete formwork in various places:
outside corners, around window or door
openings, at the top of an exposed wall, etc
WEATHER CONDITIONS
Weather conditions may influence everything from the timing and
method of concrete delivery and placement to postponing the operation
altogether.
Ideally, concrete is placed in temperatures between 10 and 32 C, when
there is no threat of rain, and when steps have been taken to protect the
concrete from excessive wind.
In general, when the temperature is 1.7 C or below, the temperature of
the concrete is required to be between 10 and 26.7 C at the time of
placing.
The Contractor may heat the water (16-27C) and/or aggregates used in
the concrete mix to achieve this range of temperatures; however, the
heating is required to be done in accordance with the Specifications for
cold-weather concrete.
The Technician is required to use a dial thermometer to check the
concrete temperature whenever the concrete is suspected to be near the
Specifications limits.
CONCRETE DELIVERY
No concrete may be placed without a Technician
on the job and another Technician at the concrete
plant.
Prior to the beginning of concrete delivery, the
technician is required to contact the plant
Technician to double-check the following items:
1) The class of concrete to be used
2) The quantity of concrete needed for the pour
3) The slump and air content requirements
4) The proposed starting time of delivery
5) The desired rate of delivery.
CONCRETE DELIVERY
Concrete is typically delivered to the job-site
in mixer trucks, agitator trucks, or in non-
agitating equipment.

Mixer Trucks
CONCRETE DELIVERY
Mixer trucks are designed for
mixing concrete at or on the
way to the job-site. For this
reason, mixer trucks always
have a water tank on board
and a measuring device that
is capable of controlling the
amount of water that is
added to the mix.
Agitator trucks deliver ready-
mixed concrete. Any water on Agitator truck
the truck is for cleaning
purposes only, not for mixing.
Direct Using
placemen buggy/wheelbarro
t w

Boom
Pump
Placing the Ready-Mixed Concrete
Access for the ready-mixed concrete truck should be provided as close as
possible to the required location in the structure.
It may be possible to discharge concrete directly from the truck into
foundations and column bases, but for other components a means of
transporting the concrete from the truck discharge point to its required
location in the frame will be required.
The two methods of transporting concrete that are most applicable to
multi-storey frame construction are:
1. Pumping. A truck-mounted (or occasionally static) concrete pump
is sited at round level with its delivery boom and/or hoses deployed so
that concrete can be pumped directly to where it is required in the frame.
The input hopper of the pump is topped-up from truck-mixers.
2. By skip.
A site crane hoists a skip from ground level (where it is filled with
concrete from a truck-mixer) to the required location in the frame.
CONCRETE SKIPPING
METHOD
Load concrete
into bucket

Using crane to
transport the
concrete to
desired place.
CONCRETE PUMPING
A concrete pump is a machine used for
transferring liquid concrete by pumping.
There are two types of concrete pumps.
(i) The first type of concrete pump is
attached to a truck.
()known as a trailer-mounted boom
concrete pump because it uses a
remote-controlled articulating robotic
arm (called a boom) to place concrete
with pinpoint accuracy.
()Boom pumps are used on most of the
larger construction projects as they are
capable of pumping at very high
volumes and because of the labour
saving nature of the placing boom.
() They are a revolutionary alternative
to truck-mounted concrete pumps.
CONCRETE PUMPING
(ii) The second main type of concrete pump is
either mounted on a truck and known as a
truck-mounted concrete pump or placed
on a trailer, and it is commonly referred to
as a line pump or trailer-mounted
concrete pump.
()This pump requires steel or flexible
concrete placing hoses to be manually
attached to the outlet of the machine.
() Those hoses are linked together and
lead to wherever the concrete needs to be
placed
() Line pumps normally pump concrete
at lower volumes than boom pumps and
are used for smaller volume concrete
placing applications such as swimming
pools, sidewalks, and single family home
concrete slabs and most ground slabs.
CONCRETE PUMPING
There are also skid mounted and rail mounted
concrete pumps, but these are uncommon
and only used on specialized jobsites such as
mines and tunnels.
SEGREGATION
Segregation occurs when the coarse and fine aggregates used in the
concrete separate and become unevenly distributed throughout the mix.
The larger coarse aggregate sinks to the bottom while the fines rise to the top.
Segregation always leads to an inferior quality of concrete.
For the most part, however, segregation may be prevented with the use of
proper placement equipment and techniques.
Concrete is required to be placed as close as possible to the location the
concrete occupies in the structure.
The concrete should not be dumped in a central location and then spread to the
location required in the structure
LAYERS
When possible, concrete is required to be deposited in layers no
more than 24 in. thick.
Care is required be taken, however, to place each successive
layer before the preceding layer has taken the initial set.
This initial set is usually 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the
temperature.
Too much time between the placement of layers usually results in
a cold joint which is a weak line of separation between the layers.
DROPPING THE MIXED
Dropping concrete from too great a height
causes the finer particles in the mix to splash
away from the larger, heavier particles. In Hoppe
addition, the force of the mix striking the
r
reinforcing steel may shift bars out of
position.
The maximum drop height or allowable free
fall is 4- 5 ft.
Hoppers with flexible chutes called tremies
are required to be used to funnel the mix
down into tall, narrow forms. Workers may be
stationed inside the forms to move the
chutes around to ensure an even distribution
Chutes
of the concrete.
The hoppers may not rest on the reinforcing
steel and are required to be supported by the
formwork.
COMPACTION
Adequate compaction is essential to ensure
that the concrete performs satisfactorily in the
completed structure.
Under-compacted concrete will have reduced
strength and / or durability, and may be of
unacceptable appearance. Poker vibrator
Appropriate compaction equipment must
therefore be available when it is required and
concrete-placing personnel should be trained
to use it correctly
The poker vibrator is likely to be most
appropriate compaction device for in-situ
reinforced concrete frames.
Beam vibrators or hand tamping can be used
to compact and finish the top surfaces of Beam
slabs, but a poker vibrator will still be required
Vibrato
to ensure that adequate compaction is
achieved through the full thickness and at the r
edges.
poker vibrator
vibrators
 COMPACTION
Although the procedure is a simple operation, vibrating concrete is often conducted
incorrectly. Some points that ensure a good job include:
1) Vibrating is required to be done immediately as the concrete is placed
2) Vibrators are required to be inserted and withdrawn vertically and should not be dragged
through the concrete
3) Vibrators are required to be inserted and withdrawn within 5 seconds. Over-vibrating forces
the finer aggregates to the top and drives the larger aggregates toward the bottom.
4) When concrete is poured in layers, the head of the vibrator is required to penetrate through
the top layer and partially through the layer underneath.
5) The workers are required to avoid contacting the reinforcing steel with the vibrator so that
the bond between the steel and the concrete is not broken
6) The workers are required to avoid contacting the form walls with the vibrator as that may
loosen the forms and may also cause honeycombing of the concrete surface
7) The Contractor is required to have a backup vibrator on hand for larger pours in case of
equipment problems
CONCRETE SPREADING
The purpose of
spreading fresh
concrete is to place
concrete as close as
possible to finish
level to facilitate
straight edging/
screeding the
concrete.
 CONCRETE SPREADING
Short handled, square
ended shovels are
recommended for
spreading concrete.
A come-along (a tool that
looks like a hoe and has a
long straight edged blade)
can also be used.
Any spreader used should
be rigid enough to push
and pull wet concrete
without bending.
CONCRETE CURING
Once the concrete is in place, the concrete is
allowed to cure a certain amount of time to
achieve the full strength.
During the curing period, the concrete is not to
be placed under stress.
The typical curing period of the concrete is 96
hours (4 days) after the initial set.
The use of certain materials, such as fly ash or
Portland-pozzolan cement in the concrete,
increases the curing period to 120 hours (5 days).
 NEED FOR CURING
The necessity for curing arises from the fact that hydration of cement can
take place only in water-filled capillaries. That is why a loss of water by
evaporation from the capillaries must be prevented.
Evaporation of water from concrete, soon after placing depends on the
temperature and relatively humidity of the surrounding air and on the
velocity of wind over the surface of the concrete.
Curing is essential in the production of concrete to have the desired
properties. The strength and durability of concrete will be fully developed
only if it is properly cured.
The amount of mixing water in the concrete at the time of placement is
normally more than required for hydration & that must be retained for
curing.
However, excessive loss of water by evaporation may reduce the amount
of retained water below what necessary for development of desired
properties. The potentially harmful effects of evaporation shall be
prevented either by applying water or preventing excessive evaporation.
CURING
The Specifications describe two methods of curing concrete.
(1) Protective covering curing method.
This method requires covering the surfaces to be cured with canvas,
straw, burlap, sand, or other approved material and keeping the concrete
wet with water throughout the curing period.
The water prevents the concrete from drying out too quickly.
Surfaces that require a Class Two rubbing finish are required to have the
protective covering temporarily removed to allow the rubbing to
continue.
The covering is required to be restored as soon as possible.
rubbed finish
CURING

(2) The use of a membrane forming curing compound.

The curing compound may be applied after the concrete surface has received the
specified finishing treatment.
Up until then, the concrete is required to be protected by the protective covering
method or, in the case of vertical surfaces, simply by leaving the forms in place.
Curing compound is applied at a minimum rate of one gallon for every 150 ft2 of
concrete surface. The application is done in two stages.
The first coat is applied immediately after stripping the forms or upon
acceptance of the concrete finish.
The surface is required to be wetted with water and coated with the compound
as soon as the water film disappears.
The second application is required to begin after the first has set and according
to the manufacturers directions.
During the curing operation, all untreated areas are required to be kept wet.
Uses of curing compound
Curing compound can be used with advantage where wet
curing is not possible. It is very suitable for large areas of
concrete which are directly exposed to sunlight, heavy winds
and other environmental influences. It can be used for curing
of:

Concrete pavements, airport runways, bridge decks,

industrial floors.
Canal linings, dams and other irrigation related structures.
Sport arenas and ice ring.
Precast concrete components
Roof slabs, columns and beams
Chimneys, cooling towers and other tall structures.