RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ALL PERSONNEL ON A CONCRETE POUR ARE NOW SPECIFIED IN ASME B30-2014

The American National Standard for material placement system safety is ASME B30.27. (Material placement systems are concrete pumps and concrete conveyors.)

ASME has released B30.27-2014. It is currently available as an electronic download and as a printed booklet. The date of issuance was March 26, 2014. It becomes effective one year after the date of issuance.

The major changes in B30.27-2014 versus the 2009 edition are the addition of translation requirements for companies importing equipment into the United States from other countries, and the addition of responsibilities for all personnel when a material placement system is used on a concrete pour, from the general contractor to the concrete mixer truck driver and everybody in between.

The responsibilities section was adapted for use in B30.27 from the B30.5-2011 (mobile cranes) standard, which has been in effect since January 2012. The reason for the responsibility delineation is to give everyone involved in a concrete pour the knowledge needed to complete the pour safely. If specialized training is required, it is shown. Expectations of setup locations are spelled out. What an operator should know, and the items a contractor should consider when ordering a machine are listed. The only way everyone can go home safely after the pour is if everyone knows their piece of the safety puzzle and works to accomplish it.

ASME B30.27-2014 contains information that should be of interest to everyone involved with concrete pumping or concrete conveying. It is advisable to obtain a copy and implement any changes necessary to ensure compliance with the specifications. It is assumed that the specifications will be used by regulatory (OSHA) and legal entities (attorneys) as a benchmark against which the players on a concrete pour will be judged.

B30.27 is republished on a five-year cycle. The 2009 version of B30.27 became active in June, 2010 and will be in effect until March 26, 2015. The 2014 version will remain in effect until one year after the next revision is published.

Copies can be obtained from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Go to http://www.asme.org/ use the ‘codes and standards’ link; then enter B30.27 into the ‘keywords’ field. The standard is also available from Global and other standards retailers. Because of severe restrictions placed on the .pdf version (one user, no printing), I recommend the paper version.

Questions or requests for interpretation regarding the ASME standard should be addressed to: Secretary of the B30 committee, ASME, Three Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5990.