How To Prepare Your Site For A Concrete Delivery
When working with concrete, the preparation before delivery is pivotal. With the right preparation, getting it into the project site, be it through a concrete pump or pouring, will be far smoother.
Having the site ready for your concrete delivery will ensure efficiency and reduce the chances of delays, meaning this stage of your project doesn't hold up the rest of the plans.
At 2 Brothers Concrete & Pumping, we have a combined 25 years of experience delivering and pumping concrete. Having worked on a range of domestic and commercial projects, we have seen it all and know what is needed for good site preparation. In this blog, we share the site preparation you need to have completed for hassle-free concrete delivery.
Assessing Site Conditions
First things first, you will need to make sure the concrete can get to your project site. This will mean conducting a thorough site survey to assess the obstacles and challenges which will determine whether you will need to use a concrete pump or be able to pour straight from the volumetric truck. The site inspection will then determine which type of pump you will need.
With a method in place, you will need to get the site ready for the delivery and movement of concrete. Inspecting the accessibility of the site for the mix-on-site truck and an additional pumping truck is a vital step, as this will ensure the vehicle can get to where it needs to before hitting that problem on delivery day. Believe us when we say nothing is more frustrating for everyone on site than our volumetric truck not being able to access the project site because the path is too narrow.
If you need the truck to come off a main road, which is likely for commercial projects or some residential work, it would be helpful if you could clear the track of any debris and obstacles before we arrive. This will mean we can see where we are going and be confident the tyres won't get punctured by something hidden underneath the leaves.
Obtaining Necessary Permits and Permissions
If working on a larger commercial site or a housing development, you might need a permit from the site manager. If this is the case, you will need to sort this out before we arrive.
Additionally, if we are working on a public road, you might need a permit from the local authority, so please check this out and sort it out before our scheduled delivery date.
This is something we can help you work through, so don't be afraid to ask us about it.
Preparing the Site for Concrete Pouring
It goes without saying that your site needs to be ready for the concrete delivery. Concrete isn't something you can store in the garage while you get ready to use it, so the delivery date must fit in with the rest of your work.
Key site preparations will include:
- Set up formwork and reinforcement
- Ensure formwork is secure and properly aligned
It can also be helpful to wet the ground and formwork before pouring or pumping the concrete into place. This can prevent premature drying, which can cause the concrete to crack and lose strength as it cures.
If the concrete delivery is happening on a hot sunny day, you might also want to think about having moisture-retaining barriers or coverings on site that can be used while the concrete is curing. This will slow down the evaporation, controlling the curing process slightly to allow the concrete to strengthen and harden as it should.
Safety Measures and Equipment
Of course, preparations aren't all about the ground and site. You also need to make sure your staff are safe throughout the process. This means preparing safety measures and ensuring any safety equipment required is on-site.
One way of doing this would be to create a staff rota to ensure only those who need to be on-site that day are. Our operatives will work our machinery, so your workers will simply need to work around the concrete site.
Make sure everyone has personal protective equipment (PPE) such as high-vis vests or coats and a hard hat and goggles.
Finally, everyone should know the action plan and safety protocol measures should something happen.
2 Brothers Can Help You
While we can't physically do everything mentioned in this blog, we can help you through the process.
Our experts will complete a site survey once you have enquired about our services. This will allow us to work with you to determine the exact services you need (which type of pump, how far it will have to reach, what concrete design mix will you need, and the volume), as well as site accessibility and challenges.
We will also help you complete any permit applications you might need, talking you through any queries you might have and giving any specific details required.
Finally, when planning the concrete delivery with you, we will also run through the site preparation that will need to be done so you can get your site as ready as possible for the concrete.
Following these steps will give us the best possible chance of providing a smooth concrete delivery process that gets the right mix in the right place at the right time so you can move on with your project.
If you have any questions about your concrete delivery or the preparations, don't hesitate to get in touch with our specialist team by calling 01489 552737 or completing our online contact form to request a callback.
