The ACPA recently updated and re-released an important safety awareness video for the concrete pumping industry: The Ray Ainsworth Story (Electrocution).
Operating the boom of a concrete pump requires focus and staying alert at all times—especially when working in and around high-voltage areas. Electrocution is one of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s “Fatal Four” leading causes of workplace deaths in the construction industry.
“When you unfold your boom, be aware of where you are and what you’re doing,” says Ray Ainsworth, the subject of the ACPA safety video.
This video is a case study about the high-voltage accident that nearly took Ainsworth’s life. While lucky to be alive, he suffered severe burns on his limbs, torso, back and head. He lost a finger and the use of his right hand.
The ACPA’s re-release of the video preserves Ainsworth’s story while also providing updated guidance on power line safety. Measures that have changed since the video’s inception more than a decade ago include the ACPA’s extension of the 17-foot rule to a minimum clearance of 20 feet from power lines carrying up to 350,000 volts (and 50 feet for 350,000+ volts). Other updates include the requirement of a spotter when power lines are in the boom movement area of a pour and responsibilities outlined in ASME B30.27, Material Placement Systems.
Ainsworth was not a novice. He had been working in the concrete pumping industry for nearly a decade and owned a concrete pumping business in Mesa, Arizona. Prior to that, he drove a concrete ready-mix truck for nine years. But accidents happen to even the most experienced construction professionals, and this video reminds viewers to be vigilant about locating power lines and following safety procedures.
For more information about the ACPA, visit www.concretepumpers.com.
About the ACPA
The ACPA is a nonprofit association that serves as an advocate for the concrete pumping industry committed to promotion, education and safety for its members and all those coming into contact with a concrete pump on the construction job site.
