Happy Monday! I am going to start off every week with a safety moment to get us kicked off for the week. First off, I want to thank you all for everything you do. You are an amazing team and do incredible work! These will be available On our internal blog for any of you to access whenever you need them.

Safety is an important part of our daily life. Nothing at work is more important than going home to your loved ones each night.

I will try to keep these short and sweet.

Today's is on concrete burns. Since concrete is in every day of our work, I think it's a good reminder to keep the dangers of concrete in mind as well and make good choices. Concrete burns happen from a chemical reaction of between cement and water, and when it is on our skin for too long, it can cause burns. These burns may not show up right away, but can be very serious. The longer wet concrete is on skin, the worse the burn will be.

Symptoms of a concrete burn:
- Redness
- Itchiness
- Pain
- Scabbing
- Dry Skin
- Blistering

First Aid: Wash the affected area with lukewarm water for 20 minutes and be sure to remove any jewelers and concrete soaked clothes.

Diluted vinegar or another acidic substance like a citrus juice can help neutralize the reaction and help prevent it from continuing and getting worse.

Seek medical attention if it spans more than 3" or is concerning to you.

The best solution is prevention:
- Wear proper safety equipment
- Wear mucking boots and tape your pants into them to create a seal so no concrete gets in
- Wear good fitting gloves
- Clean off any concrete that does get on your skin immediately.

If you are not dressed to work with wet concrete for the day we are pouring, the foreman or superintendent may send you home. Your safety is more important than placing the concrete.

ASCC has published a great resource on concrete burns if you’d like to learn more, it’s available here.