Hose whip

'Hose whip' describes uncontrolled and rapid motion of the flexible rubber hose on the end of a concrete placing boom or other concrete delivery line.

Workers can be struck directly by the whipping hose itself, knocked over and hit the ground or an object, or hit by ejected material.

To minimise the likelihood of hose whip:

• only pump concrete that is a pumpable mix as specified by the concrete supplier
• do not let the concrete solidify in the line as this will cause blockages
• use competent operators to pump concrete
• start the pump up slowly
• never use a rubber delivery hose with metal fittings attached to the free end
• people not involved in the concrete pour should be excluded from the delivery hose area
• never stretch the delivery hose if it doesn't reach the pouring location
• the delivery hose on a boom pump should hang close to vertical and only be guided by the line hand
• workers should always wear appropriate personal protective equipment
• do not allow concrete to drop out of the hose when pumping is stopped, as this can allow air to enter the system
• always ensure the line hand has an adequately sized area to stand on
• monitor the level of concrete in the hopper to avoid air getting sucked into the pump system
• make sure safe work procedures are adopted for clearing blockages
• clean out the concrete line with water instead of air
• if there is no other option but to clean the pump line out with air, remove the rubber hose and reducers, secure the end of the steel line and have an exclusion zone.

For more detailed information on hose whip, check Section 4.1.4 of the Concrete Pumping Code of Practice 2019 (PDF, 1.04 MB).