April 2015, Vol. 70, No.4
Newsline
Vac-Tron’s Safe Digging Month Article
Vac-Tron first took shape in October of 1994 when Don Buckner founded American Manufacturing and Machine, Inc., out of his garage with his son, Donnie Jr. Forged from their desire to “make something better” — the “virtual manufacturing” company relied on subcontractors to build and sell pumper and septic-tank trucks across the U.S.
While in this role, Buckner saw a need for innovation in the trenchless industry, which was, at the time, marked by disastrous underground utility strikes. Soon, Buckner developed a revolutionary, well-made industrial vacuum system that could safely locate underground utilities — without the risk of a strike — and Vac-Tron was born.
Vac-Tron Equipment is now one of the country’s largest producers of industrial vacuum equipment. Vac-Tron offers a full line of industrial vacuums, potholing, daylighting, hydro-excavation, and air excavation equipment. Vac-Tron’s equipment can also be used for directional drill slurry removal, Power Pole setting, manhole clean-out, culvert clean-out, lateral and storm drain clean-out, industrial clean-up, waste clean-up, lift-station clean-up, oil spill clean-up, as well as other natural disaster clean-up applications.
Vac-Tron Equipment enables your excavations to be clean, precise and ready for inspection. Our equipment can uncover pipelines, phone lines, fiber optics — and anything else buried up to 20 feet underground — quickly, safely, and without damaging any expensive or hazardous lines.
When damaging a utility, the costs and ripple effects could add up quickly; environmental contamination, project delays, lost time and productivity, financial liability, redesign costs, change orders, extra work orders, construction claims, higher insurance costs, higher financing costs, but even more importantly an injury could occur or even death.
Damage prevention starts with one phone call, and since 2007 the phone number for that call has been 811. 811 serves as an easy-to-remember phone number for both professional excavators and homeowners to call — and it’s the law. With Vac-Tron Equipment, you can safely locate utilities using a non-destructive method such as vacuum excavation.
Common Ground Alliance (CGA) is a member-driven association of 1,700 individuals, organizations and sponsors in every facet of the underground utility industry. Established in 2000, CGA is committed to saving lives and preventing damage to underground infrastructure by promoting effective damage prevention practices in an effort to reduce damages to underground facilities in North America. CGA compiled statistics showing that from 2009 to 2011 excavation practices from known events are not sufficient, increasing from 37% to 41%. Notifications are still not being made. Awareness ranged from a low of 57.8% in the Northeast to a high of 75.0% in the Midwest. Generally speaking, as awareness increases, the percentage of events attributed to notification not made decreases.
Increase your awareness. Dig the safe way, the Vac-Tron way. Spring is here and so are all those construction projects. Remember, April is National Safe Digging Month. Please visit us at http://www.vactron.com or call 1-888-VAC-TRON.
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