Time and again
our companion publications, Stormwater and Erosion Control,
present horror stories of installations gone wrong—horribly awry—and would you
care to know who gets to eat the cost of replacing these failures? The
developer? Sometimes, but more often than not it’s the installer who takes the
hit, and you know who that is.
We hear a lot
about the fines various agencies dole out, and, yes, they can be
company-busting, but generally they’re reserved for genuine bad actors who
choose to flaunt regulations without making any real effort to comply. A more
likely situation involves the failure of an installation where you have to stop
what you’re doing—maybe even break camp on a completely different job—to go back
and clean, replace, or perhaps create from scratch a system or practice you
thought was out of your life for good.
It needn’t be
anything monumental like the slump of a hillside or undermining of a roadway to
suck the profit out of what should have been a good project. Even something as
simple as having to go back and flush out a storm drain that has become clogged
with construction debris after you’ve moved your crew offsite can cause damage
not only to your bank account, but to your reputation as
well.
Living
With Change
An increasing
number of developers are requiring bidders on their projects to hold a
recognized erosion and sediment control certification. Contractors who have
achieved such certifications have an advantage over those who haven’t,
regardless of whose project they’re bidding on (put yourself in the shoes of any
developer and see who you would choose to work on your
project).
I’d like to
think that if you (or people working for you) don’t already hold stormwater or
erosion control certifications, you’re wondering, “How do I go about getting
certified?”
As many of you
know by now, Wal-Mart and other large developers have created their own
programs, but you have other choices as well, including your local regulatory
agencies. But I would like to suggest that you stop right now and arrange for
your free subscriptions to Stormwater and Erosion Control, both of
which can be accomplished through our Internet portal at www.forester.net.
Simply click on “Subscribe” in the upper left corner and then follow the
instructions. Both magazines are filled cover-to-cover with valuable information
on their respective subject areas and educational and certification
opportunities, and their Web sites—accessible via the same portal—maintain
libraries of prior issues.
Oh, yes.
You’ll want to read Shirley Morrow’s article, Environmental Compliance—Who’s
Responsible?, in our Upcoming
June issue of Grading & Excavation Contractor, especially since
it was she who created Wal-Mart’s certification program.