Safe use of concrete-placing equipment

Background

There have been several safety incidents involving concrete-placing equipment in recent years, including an increase in rollovers. In August 2025, a 40 year old employee died in NSW and another employee suffered life-threating injuries when a truck-mounted concrete-placing boom overturned.

Safety issues

Common safety issues with concrete-placing equipment that can put employees at serious risk of injury or death include:

• incorrect set-up, leading to rollover
• pipelines failing under pressure
• components failing, leading to structural collapse or mechanical failure
• equipment being used near or over powerlines
• employees accessing areas with moving parts due to modified or missing hopper grates.

Recommended ways to control the risks

To eliminate or reduce the risk of injury when operating concrete-placing equipment, you should:

• Ensure pumping equipment is well maintained.
• Choose the most suitable location for the pump set-up. This should:
  • Be an accessible, reasonably level area. It should have adequate surface-bearing capacity to support the fully loaded working pump and any delivery trucks.
  • Provide clearance from obstructions, excavations and underground hazards.
  • Include ‘NO-GO-ZONE’ restrictions if operating near overhead powerlines.
• Have a competent person install appropriately sized packing, bog mats or road plates. These should be calculated in accordance with the concrete pump’s safe use information.
• Ensure outriggers are extended (swung out if applicable), lowered and locked in position before the boom is erected. Avoid short-blocking wherever practicable, as there is an increased risk of overturning.
• Put adequate protection in place as part of a traffic management system to protect the pump and outriggers from being struck.
• Check that safety pins are installed on all delivery pipeline clamps.
• Check that all the emergency stops and the interlock on the hopper guard are functioning properly.

Legal duties

As an employer or self-employed person, you have legal duties under the following health and safety laws:

• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017.

Employers must provide and maintain plant, including concrete-placing equipment, so that it is safe and without risks to health, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Employers and self-employed persons must:

• Inspect concrete-placing equipment to the extent necessary to ensure that the risks associated with its use are monitored. This may be achieved by adhering to either:
  • the manufacturer’s inspection and maintenance instructions
  • AS 2550.15:2019 ‘Cranes, hoists & winches - Safe use - concrete placing equipment’ in relation to inspection and testing regimes, such as pre-operational, routine and periodic inspections.
• Ensure operators and employees are suitably trained and competent for the type and model of concrete-placing equipment they are using. You must not allow an employee to perform high-risk work, such as operate concrete-placing booms, unless the employee holds the appropriate high-risk work licence for the work.