TRADITIONAL DE-DAGGING

WHAT IS IT?

De-dagging is an industry wide term describing the removal of accumulated dried concrete from the inside of a concrete truck agitator bowl. A worker enters the agitator bowl and uses a jackhammer to chip away dried concrete from the insides of the bowl - it's amongst the world's worst jobs, placing the worker at risk of death or serious injury from the following:

The following incidents illustrate the real and present dangers associated with traditional de-dagging.

RECENT FATALITIES

There have been four deaths in recent times involving traditional de-dagging.

  1. A 52 year old Innisfail QLD man was crushed to death in a concrete truck when the agitator bowl rotation commenced whilst he was inside.
    Cairns.com.au - Man crushed in cement truck

  2. On the 14th March 2008 a worker from Newcastle NSW stuck his head into the agitator bowl of a concrete truck whilst the bowl was in motion. He was killed as a mixing blade struck his head.
    WorkCover Authority of NSW - Gateshead concrete company fined after death

  3. A French worker died on 14th September 2010 at St Appolinaire, France. The victim had partially entered the agitator bowl via the manhole cover when the bowl began to rotate.
    Dijon Bétons - Injury causing death

  4. A West Australian worker died after he was crushed against a chassis rail whilst entering a concrete agitator bowl - he attempted to enter the bowl through the manhole cover and inadvertently moved the agitator remote selection gear shaft into neutral, causing the bowl to rotate - crushing him between the manhole cover and the chassis rail.
    WorkSafe WA - Man fatally injured in concrete agitator

RECENT SERIOUS INJURIES

  1. The NSW Supreme Court has awarded a worker who sustained injury whilst operating a jackhammer above his head for prolonged periods, $533,220 in damages, and in doing so held that the labour hire agency with which he was directly employed should be fully indemnified by the host employer.
    Mondaq Insurance - Australia: Legal Directions

  2. On the 14th July 2007, a worker at a West Australian Boilermakers shed was in the process of de-dagging, placed his jackhammer down whilst moving to the next cleaning area. In doing this he accidentally activated the on switch - the tip of the hammer contacted his leg, piercing the skin and fracturing it.

  3. Also in 2007 a worker was dragged into an agitator bowl - he was chipping away at the concrete from a position outside and 2.8 m above the bowl with a hand chisel and pneumatic jackhammer. The remote control switch of the bowl became active, the air hose was wrapped around his leg and rotation dragged him into the agitator for around three to seven minutes.

  4. A Holcim employee was in the process of de-dagging an agitator barrel. He had de-dagged the lower end of the barrel and had started to apply the jack hammer between the fin and concrete below waist height when a large piece of concrete between fins 2 and 3 slid from position. This large piece of concrete initially hit the employee on his head and then became wedged on a bracing bar simultaneously impacting the employee’s left hand which was on the bracing for support. The employee suffered a severe injury to his left hand requiring surgery and ongoing rehabilitation.
    Holcim Australia - SHE Alert 350

THE DANGERS OF SILICOSIS

Silicosis is a form of lung disease resulting from occupational exposure to silica dust over a period of years. Silicosis causes slowly progressive fibrosis of the lungs, impairment of lung function and a tendency to tuberculosis of the lungs. Also known as silicatosis, pneumosilicosis or stonemasons disease.

For further information visit:
Occupational Safety and Health Administration - Fact Sheet: Crystalline Silica Exposure

AGI-KLEEN SAFETY SOLUTIONS

Whilst there will still be a need for traditional de-dagging, relevant government agencies and industry associations are now recommending the use of high pressure cleaning systems that don't require human access to the agitator bowl.

AGI-KLEEN EQUIPMENT SAFETY

The AGI-Kleen Remote Concrete Removal System is the Future in Concrete Agitator Cleaning, Safety & Maintenance - it is a non-entry system with no confined space issues.

For further information visit:
WorkSafe Victoria - Cleaning inside agitator barrels of concrete trucks