Contact of the skin with fresh concrete, mortar, or grout can lead to severe chemical burns requiring repeated skin grafts resulting in permanent crippling.

Why do a few workers get burned each month while thousands don't? A study of case histories provides us with several clues:

1. Those injured were often either novices playing and handling concrete or they were experienced workers who had grown careless after years of good working practices.

2. Exposure of the skin, generally to clothing saturated with concrete juices, had occurred tor an extended period, usually several hours.

3. Areas of the skin where abrasion had occurred (such as knees, or leg areas where the tops of boots had rubbed) were almost always involved.

We concluded from studies that injury requires ignorance of, or lack of respect for, the potential chemical danger of concrete.

We suggest that a practice be established whereby those receiving ready mixed concrete post signs that inform that exposure to skin can cause first, second and third-degree burns. We also recommend the use of rubber boots, water resistant clothing, and similar protective gear. Further, we suggest use of dry towels promptly to remove any concrete that contacts skin. Skin areas that have been exposed to concrete be thoroughly washed with running water.

This washing of the skin (and not the clothing while being worn) should be done whenever solutions from the concrete have penetrated the clothing.

Fresh concrete is a marvelous, low-cost engineering material that is handled by tens of thousands of workers each year with relatively few injuries. But the disfiguration of at least a few workers can be prevented if an effort is mounted.

Construction Bulletin