Personnel, duties and

safety precautions for

the shotcrete gunning crew
ince the quality of shotcrete depends so much Functions

S on the gunning crew, it is essential that opera-

tors should serve apprenticeships and receive
instruction in their craft. The foreman of a crew
should be experienced and should have served at least
two years as a nozzleman, and his nozzleman should
Following are the primary duties of a shotcrete gun-
ning crew:

Nozzleman
• Ensures that the nozzle is in first-class working order,
have served an apprenticeship of at least six months
the liner is secure and unworn, the water jets are clear
and have had experience on jobs of a similar nature to
and unblocked, the hoses are clear of scale and cor-
the one on which he is engaged.
rectly laid, and the hose connections are properly
The experience of the nozzleman must be demon-
made.
strated by testing his ability to coat test panels as part of
a pre-construction testing program (dealt with in Chap-
• Ensures that the surface to receive the shotcrete is
ter 7 of the book Gunite—a handbook for engineers).
clean, free of dust, laitance and grease (with the excep-
The crew should consist of:
tion of formwork coated with form oil).
• nozzleman
• blowpipe operator (nozzleman’s apprentice) • Ensures that the mix stream is applied in a regular flow
at the correct, uniform pressure required.
• gunman (operates the mechanical feeder or gun*)
• mixer operator • Regulates the water control to ensure adequate com-
paction of the shotcrete, low rebound percentage and
• foreman
absence of sag.
• s e ve ral laborers to assist with such jobs as hose
moving, scaffolding and mixing • Holds the nozzle in such a way that the shotcrete im-
pinges as directly onto the surface as conditions per-
* Not to be confused with the discharge nozzle, the gun is the equipment that mit, thus ensuring adequate compaction and low re-
delivers the shotcrete mixture (sand-cement in the dry process) under pres-
sure through the hose to the nozzle. bound percentage.

Figure 1. Nozzleman’s signals. † Numbers in parentheses refer to metric equivalents listed with this article.

Figure 2. Protective clothing.
• Directs the build-up of shotcrete in a sensible sequence
to ensure that corners are soundly filled and that all re-
inforcement is embedded without the formation of
voids.
• Directs the gunman as to his requirements and stops
work at the occurrence of any deficiency in supply.
• Cuts out any voids that may have formed.
• Applies the shotcrete to the required thickness, line
and surface.
Blowpipe operator
• Attends the nozzleman with a blowpipe approximately
4 feet(1)† long, at least 3⁄4 inch( 2) in diameter and fitted
with a valve for the purpose of blowing rebound away
from the surface of the work, out from behind rein-
forcement and out of corners.
• Assists the nozzleman in other ways; for instance, by
shifting hoses, cutting out voids, troweling the shot-
crete face, clearing rebound from the area, watching
out for trouble (leaks, blocks, loose screeds, for exam-
ple) and acting as a messenger/signalman.
Gunman
• Ensures that the gun is in first-class working order.
• Regulates the supply of mix from the gun according to
the nozzleman’s requirements for pressure and vol-
ume.
• Ensures that the mix supply does not pulsate or in any
way become irregular.
• Ensures, by carefully checking the connections, that no
air losses occur in the hoses or the gun.
• Directs the mixer operator as to his requirements and
rejects any premixed material that has been left to
stand for longer than two hours (one hour if the sand
was wet) or any other mix he considers unsatisfactory.
• Blows out all material hoses after work stops and emp-
ties the gun if the stoppage is for more than one hour.
Mixer operator
• Ensures that the mixer is clean and in first-class me-
chanical condition—it must be cleaned daily.
• Mixes the cement and sand in the required proportions
for at least one minute, whether a drum- or a pan-type
mixer is used.
• Rejects any unsound cement and any inferior sand
(badly graded or with a moisture content greater than
10 percent).
• En s u re s, by careful screening, that no large pieces of
aggregate, cement bag paper or any other debris that
could block the hose are allowed to enter the gun from
the mixer or the premixed material stockpile.
• Ensures that the cement is stored near at hand, at least
6 inches(3) above ground level and under cover.
• Ensures that the sand is stockpiled under cover in such
a manner that it can drain freely.
Foreman
The foreman bears responsibility for the successful
completion of the job and acts as coordinator and di-
rector.
Job organization
An essential requirement for good shotcrete practice
is correct job organization. This is the responsibility of
the foreman. He should arrange the job to suit his re-
quirements and ensure that all equipment will work
smoothly by taking the necessary precautions and pro-
viding for eventualities.
It is a frequent occurrence that, owing to the noise of
the compressor or the roar of the nozzle, or simply be-
cause of the distance, communications by voice are im-
possible. On such occasions a hand signalling system as
shown in Figure 1 is required. These are nozzleman’s sig-
nals; the gunman normally only needs to signal the noz-
zleman to warn him that he is about to turn on the pres-
sure or that he is stopping the gun.
When the nozzleman is not in sight of the gun crew, a
signalman, two-way radio or whistles should be used.
In the latter case a code must be agreed upon; normally
two short blasts mean ‘OK’ and a long blast means ‘Stop.’
Other directions are rarely used. An experienced gun-
man can tell a great deal about what is going on from the
behavior and sound of the gun.
The only reliable form of two-way radio is one which
comprises a light headset unit (often built into a hel-
met) powered by rechargeable batteries and using dust-
sealed earphones and microphone. For certain refracto-
ry work headsets are essential.
Safety precautions
Protective equipment
The nozzleman re q u i res protection from the re-
bound and from the clouds of cement dust. In d i-
vidual pieces of rebound can strike the noz z l e m a n
at speeds of 90 miles per hour (4) or more, and it is
most important that the nozzleman should we a r
safety goggles to protect his eye s.
The most popular type of goggles appears to be the
plastic wrap-around, disposable type, though these
eventually become coated with shotcrete and smeared
with cement slurry. Since it is uneconomical to clean
them, it is best to plan on using at least a pair a day per
nozzleman. Glass goggles last longer with cleaning but
eventually become cloudy due to the abrasion. Glass
goggles are not popular unless they are proved to be
shatterproof and not liable to fog up inside.
In enclosed conditions some ventilation is essential
for the health and comfort of the nozzleman. Occasion-
ally a damp handkerchief over the nose and mouth will
suffice, but as soon as dust becomes a problem respira-
tors must be supplied. Paint sprayers’ respirators are ad-
equate, but the filters need frequent changing. A better
solution, and one that is essential in very enclosed con-
ditions (tunnels, chimneys, furnaces), is to run a light
air line through to a special helmet of the type illustrated
in Figure 2a.
Loose-fitting waterproof gloves are recommended; a
peaked, close-fitting protective helmet (hard hat) is rec-
ommended both to protect the head and to keep cement
out of the hair. The best uniform is a boiler suit, fitting
closely at the neck, and with loose-fitting trouser legs
falling over rubber boots (Figure 2b).
This protective equipment is only required for the
nozzleman and his blowpipe operator. But it is worth
remembering that sand grains and chips caught in any
air stream are just as damaging as those straight from the
nozzle; it is therefore recommended that the gunman,
too, should wear a pair of goggles.
On all scaffolding over 15 feet(5) high, and on all cra-
dles, the nozzleman should wear a safety harness.
Wind
It is impossible to produce good shotcrete in windy
conditions. If there is any likelihood of even moderate
winds occurring, provision must be made to screen the
nozzle and the surface to be shotcreted to prevent the
cement and aggregate fines from being blown out of the
jet stream. In the open, a light metal cone fitted over the
nozzle tip at its apex can sometimes suffice.
Winds and draughts also promote drying shrinkage
cracking by rapidly cooling the fresh shotcrete and are as
harmful as direct sunlight in this respect.
Rain
Fresh shotcrete must be protected against rain in ex-
posed sites. Shotcrete, having a low water/cement ratio,
is very absorptive of water when fresh. Heavy rain falling
on fresh shotcrete, if it does not cause it to slip or run,
will at least reduce its final strength.
Dust
A great deal of dust can be created by the shotcreting
process. For this reason, no delicate machinery should
be left uncovered in the vicinity, and other trades should
be moved away from the working area. Provision should
be made to contain the dust and flying rebound.
Shotcreting should not be undertaken unscreened
alongside moving traffic.
Metric equivalents
(1) 1.2 meters
(2) 20 millimeters
(3) 150 millimeters
(4) 150 kilometers per hour
(5) 5 meters
Editor’s note:
This article is based on Chapter 3 of the book Gunite—a
handbook for engineers, by T. F. Ryan, published by the Ce-
ment and Concrete Association, 52 Grosvenor Gardens,
London SWIW OAQ, England. The 63-page book is avail-
able for $7.95 from The Aberdeen Group, 426 South West-
gate Street, Addison, Illinois 60101.
PUBLICATION #C780027
Copyright © 1978, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved