Concrete Pumping Software by DispatchThis.com

This issue of the Dispatchthis.com newsletter highlights an active month for the concrete pumping community, including the CFA Summer Meeting, and the launch of the new ACPA website.

DispatchThis attended the Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) summer meeting this past week (July 6-9) at the Hyatt Embarcadero in San Francisco, CA.

The conference consisted of education seminars and round table discussions. We attended the "Pumping Safety" discussion led by Tom O'Malley of Schwing America. Attendees included Gary Schmidt of Putzmeister, Christi Collins of the ACPA, former ACPA president Mike Cusack of Conco Companies, and pumpers and construction companies from coast-to-coast.

"The Summer Meeting is designed to combine great networking with cutting edge educational topics," said Jim Baty, technical director of CFA. "This year's event demonstrated just how valuable the networking is as an extension of the subject matter presented."

"Beginning with the seminars and flowing through the round table sessions," stated Baty. "Attendees communicated and absorbed an incredible amount of information to evolve the content into the essence of their businesses."

At the discussions we attended, the same 2 safety concerns were raised and discussed: power lines and hose whipping. It's unfortunate that these accidents happen but it's reassuring to know that the industry is paying attention to these issues and that with a little education and a little extra care, we can make the job sites much safer.

A few highlights from the pumping safety discussions we attended:
• Use two people to spot boom setup when the operator is more than 25 feet away from power lines to ensure the boom is at least 17 feet away from power lines.
• ACPA safety videos are a great resource to learn more about the dangers of hose whipping and power lines.
• Most accidents are had by veteran pumpers.
• Accidents are more common during the second setup of a pump. The operators are being rushed which leads to less attention to detail.

Scroll down to see a few pictures from the event.

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This June, the ACPA launched their new, re-designed website. Some of the new features and improvements include:

• Better layout, easier to use.
• Ability to order safety materials online.
• Ability to sign up for membership online.
• Interactive member area that is always current (One doesn't have to wait a year anymore to be included in the member listing).
• Online certification is now available. No need to travel to a seminar to take the certification test. You can do it from the comfort of your own home or office.
• Members Only area that allows for interaction among members of ACPA.

Image courtesy of the CFA