I’ve been working in the slope stabilization industry for about 32 years now, and I’d like to share some near-misses—or perhaps you could call them unusual incidents—that I’ve experienced on the job… I’d like to tell you about them. One of the biggest hazards in sprayed mortar work is, of course, material blockage (clogging)! When it clogs right at the tip of the nozzle, an inexperienced nozzle operator gets absolutely terrified 💦 It’s usually fine as long as a little air is leaking out, but when it’s completely blocked, the fear really doubles.     😱 And then, believe it or not, that nozzle couldn't handle the backpressure and burst!!   Even our veteran nozzle operator was totally freaked out by this! Fortunately, neither the nozzle operator nor any of the other workers nearby were injured, but it’s really scary to think what might have happened if it had burst completely, isn’t it? 😱 Since there might have been a small crack in it even before we used it, this really drove home to me how important it is to conduct a thorough pre-use inspection. That’s all from the job site 🫡 Stay safe every day!