Heres the situation....

Just went to work for this company that I wont name about two weeks ago.  They are not a pumping company but a concrete construction company that has a few pumps leased.  I didnt work monday or tuesday, worked 12 hours on wednesday.  Thursday afternoon my boss called me and said be there at 11:30 pm.  I didnt leave untill 1:00 am on saturday(btw its a huge jobsite, probably million or more yards on this one site).  So here is my problem...I worked 25.5 hours...had been up for approx. 36 and had a 1 hour of sleep while i was at work.  I set up 6 times and pumped over 2000 yards yesterday with a 52 meter.  After pumping for 8 hours straight without even so much as a bathroom break I asked my boss if I could have a couple hour break to get some sleep.  I was so tired I couldnt even concentrate or make the boom do what I wanted it to anymore.  There was another operator there who had just woken up from a 5 hour nap...So anyways when i asked for this break my boss got mad and said u can just go home...then he calls me four hours later and wants me to come back in(i live two hours away from this jobsite)When he told me to go home i told him that i would be fine i just needed a couple hours of sleep...  I've been pumping for a number of years now and im used to working long hours, at least back in the good ole days i was but it was always multiple jobs not just straight work for 25.5 hours straight almost....So i guess my question is am i being a crybaby or are these guys just idiots?

Idiots,with a capital I

Sounds to me like there is going to be a lessoned learned here very soon. I wonder who will pay for it. I hope nobody gets killed.

Which genius is in charge now?

Yes, they have not a clue! The way things are here they could do 3 - 8 hour shifts on that job. The hours could be dished out equally and there would be a fresh operator there at all times. It is too bad that you are being pimped like that.

The only thing that would be worse is for you to drag-up and not be able to support your family. Could you co-op your shift with one of the other employees?

Please be careful, we don't want anyone hurt trying to be a hero.

To answer you question Bob simply no.  They only have 3 ops...one went home for the weekend and the other one that had just taken a nap had been there since the same time i was.  The pour that i asked for a break on was a 3500 yard footer...  There was me with a 52 and another guy that works for a subcontractor with a 61 on one side and the guy that just woke up had a 58 on the other side...There were four ops there last night...me and the gut that had been there since 11:30 the night before, the 61m op had come in at two that afternoon just for that pour and the other guy that works for the same sub that came in at noon.  so im guessing that they wanted to get the sub guys out of there but they are doing it at the expense of saftey...but when he got mad and sent me home the guy that works for the sub ended up stayng and running my 52...so go figure...and your right i dont want to drag up cause i got two kids to feed and the pump company i was working for befoe i was only getting 30 hours or so a week.  last week i got 75 hours and the other two ops also got 70 plus 

DEFFINITLY UNSAFE,ICAN USUALLY GO ON FOR LONG SHIFTS W/ONLY 4 HOURS OF REST AND FOOD OF COURSE BUT ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT AND THEY CAN KEEP THEIR HOURS,ID RATHER PUMP GAS THAN RUN THE RISK OF KILLING SOMEONE OR MYSELF.

Pumpman, Even though you're not driving the pump, keep a neat and tidy, daily log. Document every day, hours worked, slept etc. It is the best you can do as an employee trying to make a living. Your log book might very well C.Y.A. some day!?!?

Maybe a stupid question.

Pumper - How were you paid for these 25.5 hours. Straight time? Staight plus time and a half or how?

Just Curious. The risk at that point to you and others, well. I think Bob, Todd and others have covered that. 

tebequip -

Hopefully something like this:

Saturdays: overtime

Sundays: doubletime

after 12 consecutive hrs on any single job: doubletime

Pumpman, we have all worked those long hours at one time or another, but never consistently. Are you getting these type of demands constantly, if so, respectfully express your concerns about safety to your superiors. Your employer has obviously not considered the consequences of a tired operator on a million dollar piece of equipment. 

Great response! I worked a 25 hr shift once? I barely made it home! It really was not worth the RISK for me or the company! The company you work for is making enough money to cover the cost of operators. They are a junk outfit!

You wouldnt happen to be talking about TK would ya? I was asked to go there a couple weeks ago and had to turn it down. I know one of the first ops on the job. He was running the 58 alot and they would have him move it 8 times for 70 yards and all sorts of dumb stuff. He quit after only 2 months. Good luck. I have heard all sorts of horror stories.

you hit the nail on the head funny boom

pumperman,  what good is the money if your dead or in prison?  from the sounds of it, this boss would stab you in the back to pass blame from him.  BEWARE.  in my experience, these do not make for happy days.

Watch your back and good luck

25 hrs straight is a walk in the park LOL I have done 48 plus Honestly it is dangerous but I seem to get my second wind after 36 hrs.

Second wind for mistakes maybe, I see we have the usual superhero mind set here. Anything after 18-20 is too long and your just asking for problems. besides that Little goverment agency called the DOT might disagree.

25 hours straight! whats the big deal? are you a pump operator or a girl scout? we are lucky to get 25 hours in a week.

jspumper

Careful there. You don't want to end up like the guy that is in the desert and when he finds some water he drinks himself to his death. ;~)

i have been layed off since memorial day so i would welcome 25hrs but not all at once thats just crazy so they could spred the wealth a little dont you think for safety sake 

Bob are you editing/deleting posts again?

Yes I am. As always.

Just figure out a way of saying your piece without sticking your finger in the other guy's eye and I will leave it alone.

Good man I'm surprised you haven't said anything about the DOT violations with working past 15 hrs, Hope you are well down there in the south land.

Wing

I really did not need to squeek-up. Y'all handled it quite well. ;~)

Things down here are glum at best. I read that the unemployment figures here in GA were 8.2% in December.... not good.

One time after a long 18+hour day I was able to wash the pump out right where I had set up. I water washed, and partially folded the boom and left the main standing. I decided to wash out since my outriggers were out and the boom out of the way. After I finished, I started to pull the outriggers in and pick up my dunnage, I got three of my outriggers in before I realized that THE BOOM WAS STILL STANDING STRAIT UP!!! Wanna know why??? I was dead ass tired and got out of my routine!!!... I hung up my cape after that

I once got buck fever sooo bad I did'nt sleep for the first 3 days of deer camp. At the end of the third day I woke up in the dark, under a cedar tree with a loaded 7mm in my lap!!! I dont know which more dangerous, a pump or a rifle???

Just because we CAN put in long hours, does'nt mean we should. We dont bang nails, or trowel concrete. We operate Gigantic, Overhead machines and then we drive them home! We are responsible for alot more lives than our own.

Be a Super Hero on the weekends, Your kids will love it!  

T.T.

Scary story!

All I have to say about any similar thing that may or may not have happened to me is:

I'm not afraid to fess up and admit to"some"of the brain dead, dumass maneuvers I've pulled. Alot of them happened when I was in Zombie Robot mode or asleep on my feet. And the rest of the stuff there was no witnesses. We all have a couple mixer driver buddies that are sworn to secrecy.

TT, well said. If you are going hunting bring your 7mm, If you are going to work with either a little stick or a big flyrod, have your mindset together according to the safety rules and go home and spend the best part of your day with the ones you love

pumpman3840,

I have been where your at i read one asswipe crying he didnt get but 25 hrs last week boo hoo, you dont throw safety out the window for monetary gains,you pump from can till cant thats all u can do,i have worked 7 days strait with less tha 8 hrs sleep its not worth it any employer that will allow you to do this doesnt have anyones best interest at heart yours are his he only knows greed,my suggestion go to the head safety man on the job there should be a 16 hr rule in effect if there is not see if they can institute one or hire more operators and work 12 hr shifts it can be fixed they just need to know why and how

well long story short!!! a good friend of mine that what happen killed a little boy comming of a school bus he was driving a pick-up with a trailr pump behind him old not stop intime D.O.T. looked at his hours worked during the week.He had worked long hours they blame that he was impaire to drive not because of alchool but because of his hours the day before.Well he ended up in JAIL and house arrest.HE was 62 close to retirement with full pention ,lost everything hes 73 now and still has to work everyday to pay for his lawyer bills.The company had a slap on the hands because it was his falt he should of refused to go out.It happened in northern ontario,Canada so watch your hours guys its all falls in YOUR HANDS!!