Where would Onsite Installer be without the hardworking contractors who provide a critical service to one-quarter to one-third of all people across North America who utilize decentralized wastewater systems? Relegated to a heap of irrelevant junk mail that piles up on your desk, I presume.
This magazine is dedicated to the equipment operators and helpers who get their hands dirty building onsite systems that allow homeowners to live wherever they choose. It is for the system designers and public health professionals who create and oversee evermore-sophisticated onsite plans that protect the environment and open up new land for development. It is for the innovators who produce the components used to make wastewater treatment work better and be more cost effective.
And just like how you always strive to make your product better for the customer, we always want to improve this printed product to better serve our readers. As we reach the apex of the busy summer season, I want to pause to remind you that this is your magazine. We want it to reflect the important work you do. It is a place where installers can network and learn from each other, a forum to share ideas and the important challenges you face.
LET’S TALK
For that, we ask for your contribution to the discussion. I know this is a time when you’re putting in long hours. For fieldworkers, it’s sunup to sundown and coming home to toss sweat-soaked and mud-covered work clothes into the washing machine to be ready for another day on the job. I know that if you find time to page through this magazine this time of year, it’s either on a hurried lunch break back at the office or in the wee hours of the morning.
But when you do find a minute or three to read this, I’d like to ask you to ponder how others in the Installer community might benefit from your experience. Or how you might learn from the experience of a colleague in the industry. What challenge have you overcome that others might face? Has a question about an install been dogging you and you’re desperate for an answer?
When you think of that creative solution or face that burning question, take a moment to let me know. We’d like to share your story or ask your question of the greater community of installers. Let’s start a conversation that might lead to new content in the magazine.
We value your input in many areas, but here are a few places to start:
Contractor profiles
It’s not like folks in the wastewater industry to want to brag about their accomplishments. I get that and I respect the preference to keep your head down and your shovel moving. But let me put a pitch in for putting yourself out there by appearing on the cover of Installer and sharing your story. For every successful installer, there’s at least one industry mentor in the past who’s been a supporter and a guiding light. By talking about your journey in this industry, you can pay it forward for all the help you received starting out. Any tips you have about running a small business, training your crew, utilizing new technologies and solving problems can help others. And the more we all learn and share, the more professional this industry will become. Don’t be afraid to nominate your company or another worthy company for one of our profile stories.
Safety issues
The main objective of installers is to build effective wastewater treatment systems. But underlying that goal is the need to work safely so you can return home to your families in one piece at the end of the day. And this is not something to be taken for granted. On a daily basis you work with heavy machinery and excavate and work in trenches on a variety of terrain. Accidents happen. We want to redouble our efforts to address safety topics to help protect you and your crews.
Unfortunately, too often photos cross my desktop showing questionable working conditions. Occasionally we have to reject images sent for publication because they show apparent violations of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules, particularly for inadequate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and lack of shoring in deep trenches. I take it as my responsibility to make sure we discourage unsafe practices. Let me know about safety topics we could address in the magazine. Maybe you could share the stories with your crew during morning tailgate safety talks.
Second round of Snapshots
I’m happy to report that over the past few years, we’ve visited with a member of every state or provincial onsite trade association through our States Snapshot feature. It’s been great to hear — in their own words — what dedicated installers are accomplishing as volunteers in the many groups that work to advance the onsite industry. We’re about to embark on another round of these interviews, so don’t be surprised when we call on your association again.
It’s been fun to ask onsite professionals to talk about the biggest issue they’re dealing with, share their typical day on the job, talk about their most challenging job and talk about the craziest customer question they’ve heard. We may change up the format of this popular feature in the future, but the main goals will stay the same: to get to know what makes an installer tick and to shed light on the work of our professional groups. We’d like to see your photo running alongside the Snapshot feature.
System Profiles
I’ll bet you either just completed or are in the planning stages for a real doozy of an install project. It may include a complex treatment system you’ve never implemented before. Or the topography or soil conditions are more extreme than you’re used to. Or you have to come up with an incredible workaround to fit the drainfield on the lot. Whatever the case, we’d love to share your story in our System Profile feature. We’re also starting to return to the scene of earlier install stories after a decade to see if they are still performing up to expectations. Let us know if you are proud of a past project we can spotlight in our System Profile: Looking Back feature.
Equipment Corner
The skills of your crew are your main asset, but quality equipment maintained properly is a huge contributor to profitability for an installing company. When you’re in the market for a new machine, you learn about the latest features and benefits. After you’ve had an excavator in the field for a while, you want to know how to keep it in tiptop shape. What would you like to know about the latest and greatest equipment offered to the onsite industry? What aspect of equipment maintenance would you like to know more about? We’ll get in touch with an equipment expert to answer those questions.
Industry and Product News
Are you aware that Installer is a place to share your news with the onsite industry? Has your company just celebrated a 25th anniversary? Did you win a small-business honor from the local chamber of commerce? Have you recently promoted a key employee to a new position? Write a few paragraphs about these company milestones and send me an email. Similarly, if you are an advertiser in the magazine, you can share news about moving to a new location, a promotion on the executive team or a new product introduction. Our Product and Industry News features reflect our commitment to being a networking tool for onsite professionals.
MAKING CONTACT
Please feel free to contact me anytime about these features in the magazine or any issues of importance to you as installers. My email is editor@onsiteinstaller.com. I promise to respond to any suggestions or questions.
