Every day has the potential to destroy you in the world of concrete pumping, and not just physically. From hidden hydraulic leaks to clogged hoses plugged with who knows what and who knows where, from recirculating hot loads while worrying about concrete flashing in your hopper to waiting on a balance/call back truck, from scheduling and rescheduling with contractors who are poor managers of their time and based off of their poor planning who think nothing of wasting your time, from trying to get to the second or third job on time, from dealing with extreme weather conditions, from finding the jobsite in the dark and then finding somewhere to washout and hoping you have enough water, to the actual physical exertion and strain on our bodies, we work under so much pressure it's no mystery why self-harm haunts our industry.
Who else risks life and limb every time they walk out the front door the way we do? Pumping can leave you bruised, bloodied, and broken on any given day, you'll learn quickly to respect the high pressure of the hoses long before you recognize the toll the pressure can take on you. We operate expensive equipment that takes an immense amount of common sense and knowhow to run, and it is far from safe nor is it easy. Learning to prime out, maintain, clean out, understanding mix designs, while managing the dangers of the job, and how to set up & break down your system efficiently and be effective is no easy task.
The responsibilities, problems, and challenges of pumping are wholistic, involving the entire mind, body, and soul. It's a daily gamble that we take, hoping and praying that all will go well and we will return home at the end of the day just to hit the bed so we can get up early and work the crazy hours we do, all over again.
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