Trench boxes are for much more than the big jobs. Too many smaller contractors and plumbers feel trench safety equipment is overkill for the smaller services they provide. This could not be further from the truth. Whether you are digging 20 feet to replace a sewer line or 5 feet to repair service to a home, trench boxes keep everyone safe and going home to their family. One of our local customers is a prime example of a smaller company benefiting from trench safety equipment.
BC Heating & Plumbing in Struthers, Ohio, was founded in 1976 by the late Bud Collingwood. Now in their second generation of family ownership, Bud’s son, Jeff Collingwood, is the current owner and has worked in the family business at BC since he was young, always aspiring to grow up to run the company. As the company has grown, the services they provide has also grown. Jeff offers basement waterproofing, shoreline and waterline repair and replacement. All of these he has done for years without the use of trench safety equipment. In order to do this safely, he has had to step and or slope the trenches which adds not only time to prep for the job but also adds to the finish work needed when the repairs have been made. Feeling the pressure from his staff and with the amount of work coming in, Jeff knew it was time to make the investment.
Jeff came to Kundel over 3 years ago and purchased two 6’X6’ aluminum Shorelite Lite trench boxes. The modular design makes maneuvering the panels easy for his staff. Jeff states that he uses the boxes between 4 and 6 times per month with an average savings of over $1,000 per job. His staff is happier, and they feel much safer, making them more productive. Jeff also told me that using the boxes saves between 2 and 4 hours per job. This equates out to around 15-20 hours per month that can be used on other projects, making BC Contracting even more money and helping more customers.
Any business owner will tell you they want to have the greatest return on investment of any equipment they purchase. Jeff said his two boxes paid for themselves within the first 8 months of usage and after 3 years of hard use, they look as good as ever and function flawlessly. If you have any questions regarding trench safety equipment, please call us and speak to our advisors.
Written by: Drew Graham