never mix concrete with bare skin ! you burn it; wear rubber gloves at all times, and apply oil after you clean up. Use gloves a lot of people develop skin disease from the nickel present in the cement that makes concrete. Never work cement mortar concrete or cement itself with bare hands it could make you sick.
For smaller projects, 30 lbs. or less, mixing the concrete by hand is pretty easy. It can be mixed in a 5 gallon bucket, a wash tub, or on a plastic sheet or a tarp. When you're getting your hands in the mix like this, be sure to wear thick gloves. Concrete is caustic and thinner gloves will rip too easily.
Assuming you're mixing one 80# bag of concrete per batch, the output of hand mixing is capped at about 7 sq. ft. of material. If you're planning a larger pour, consider a second mixing station or dividing the project into smaller sections.
Concrete is a corrosive material with natural alkalinity that can damage your hands. Concrete can strip your hands of their natural protective barrier and cause irritation. Especially when working with wet concrete, it's imperative to use suitable gloves so the concrete doesn't dry on your hands.
If cement is on your skin or eyes, rinse it off immediately with cool or room temperature water for at least 15 minutes. If any cement is swallowed, rinse the lips and mouth thoroughly.
Cement, which you find in concrete, mortar, and grout, is highly caustic or corrosive. Once you mix dry cement with water, it has a pH of 10 to 12 (on a scale of 14) until it cures and dries. That, by itself, is enough to cause chemical burns on unbroken skin with extended contact.
Wet cement is highly alkaline in nature. A serious burn or ulcer can rapidly develop if it is trapped against the skin. In extreme cases, these burns may need a skin graft or cause a limb to be amputated. Cement can also cause chemical burns to the eyes.
If hardened concrete is left untreated on the skin, skin begins to blister, swell, and bleed, leading to first-, second-, and even third-degree burns following soon after. Severe cases of concrete skin irritation can lead to permanent scarring and even require skin grafts or amputations.
Wear alkali-resistant gloves, coveralls with long sleeves and full-length pants, water- proof boots and eye protection. Wash contaminated skin areas with cold, running water as soon as possible. Rinse eyes splashed with wet concrete with water for at least 15 minutes and then go to the hospital for further treatment.
Long sleeves and pants are a must when working with concrete, and should be tucked correctly into gloves and boots. Make sure that boots are waterproof, in good repair, and at least as high as the concrete is deep. Gloves should be waterproof and alkali resistant.
It is cheaper to mix concrete by hand, but it will become less cost-effective as your project size increases.
Another "old rule of thumb" for mixing concrete is 1 cement : 2 sand : 3 gravel by volume. Mix the dry ingredients and slowly add water until the concrete is workable. This mixture may need to be modified depending on the aggregate used to provide a concrete of the right workability.
Water allows the cement to solidify, providing the reaction necessary for the mixture to harden. The less water a person uses, the weaker the strength of the mix.
Cement is generally made from limestone, clay and sand. It's important to realise that you cannot use cement alone and it will need to be mixed with other materials to make a concrete or mortar mix.
Crystalline silica is found in materials. such as concrete, masonry and rock. When these mate- rials are made into a fine dust and suspended in the air, breathing in these fine particles can produce lung damage. Silicosis can be totally disabling and may lead to death.
Mixing concrete without a mixer is used only for small works where the concrete requirement is less and quality control is less important. In the hand mixing of concrete, uniformity of mixing is difficult to achieve and requires special care and efforts.
Yes, you need to wear a mask when mixing cement and concrete. The mask needs to be a respirator type of mask rated for silica dust to have full protection. Are safety glasses really necessary when mixing concrete or sanding? Safety glasses are needed for mixing and sanding concrete.
However, there is no evidence of impacts such as carcinogenicity, mutagenicity or toxicity. It is safe. In fact, concrete has been shown to be a safer material than many others, and polished concrete surfaces have replaced others made from materials that cause diseases such as hookworm.
Longer term exposure could lead to occupational asthma. Mortar can also contain respirable crystalline silica (RCS). RCS is also found in concrete and can lead to the development of silicosis or scarring of the lungs, which results in a loss of lung function and severe shortness of breath.
Household Vinegar
The best course of action for washing hands exposed to concrete, according to the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health, is to wash your hands with clean water and a pH neutral cleanser and then rinse your hands with vinegar and water.
Bottom line: Cement is a powdered ingredient used to make concrete. Concrete is the material used to make sidewalks, driveways and buildings. Sakrete makes a number of different concrete formulations in varying strengths and set times to meet the needs of different job requirements.
Unlike other surfaces, concrete has no give. This inflexibility affects the body. Standing or walking on concrete flooring every day can result in backaches, knee pain, swollen legs and sore feet. Left untreated, you may experience injuries and chronic pain.