Understanding Hose Whip: 'Hose whip' refers to the uncontrolled and swift movement of the flexible rubber hose attached to a concrete placing boom or delivery line.

Potential Hazards: Workers face direct impacts from the whipping hose, risking being knocked over or hit by ejected material.

Minimizing Hose Whip Risk: To reduce the likelihood of hose whip incidents, workers should:

• Pump only concrete specified as pumpable by the supplier.
• Prevent concrete solidification in the line to avoid blockages.
• Employ skilled operators for concrete pumping.
• Gradually start up the pump.
• Avoid using a rubber delivery hose with metal fittings on the free end.
• Restrict access to the delivery hose area for non-involved individuals.
• Avoid stretching the delivery hose if it doesn't reach the pouring location.
• Ensure the delivery hose on a boom pump hangs close to vertical and is guided by the line hand.
• Always wear appropriate personal protective equipment.
• Prohibit concrete from dropping out of the hose when pumping stops to prevent air entering the system.
• Provide a sufficiently sized area for the line hand to stand on.
• Monitor the concrete level in the hopper to prevent air ingress into the pump system.
• Adopt safe work procedures for clearing blockages.
• Clean the concrete line with water instead of air.
• If air cleaning is unavoidable, remove the rubber hose and reducers, secure the end of the steel line, and establish an exclusion zone.

For a comprehensive understanding of hose whip prevention, refer to Section 4.1.4 of the Concrete Pumping Code of Practice 2019.