Trench Box Saves Contractor Twice in One Week

by Mike Fernandez

Pittsburgh, PA. 6/2004 - "Just take this trench box and try it…if you decide that you want it then pay for the rental or buy it later," said Tim Ellison of equipment dealer Knickerbocker-Russell in Pittsburgh. Craig Davey, a sewer contractor and owner of Davey Plumbing in Pittsburgh, agreed to try the trench box not foreseeing the importance of his choice.

 Craig Davey had been in the underground construction business for 20 years. He had seen some very dangerous situations as he explained, "I've been in trenches that were 'shored' with plywood and 4x4's that would have snapped in a cave-in." But now he has a stringent policy with his new 4 year old business: "My crews are on strict orders to not get in a trench without a box."

Davey and co-worker Mike Sweeney were installing 4-inch sanitary sewer pipe at a residential site. They were working in a trench that was approximately 7 ft. deep x 10 ft. long x 5 ft. wide in very wet soil that they had dug with a Bobcat 331E. Davey and Sweeney were inside of Knickerbocker-Russell's 6 ft. tall x 8 ft. long x 4 ft. wide Corru-Lite aluminum corrugated trench box manufactured by Efficiency Production, Inc. that fit just inside of the precarious cut.

The top man yelled out that the dirt was coming loose and Sweeney began to scramble out of the box. Sweeney was nearly out of the top of the box when Davey grabbed his shirt tail and pulled him back inside of it just before the 4 ft. wide x 8 ft. high mass of soil broke away from the wall and crashed into the side of the trench box pinning it against the opposite wall! The aluminum trench box withstood the tremendous pressure of the collapse and protected the two workers within! Davey stated that Sweeney's legs would have been crushed if he had not pulled him away from the point of impact. Not to mention the severe result that would have occurred if they had not used any trench protection at all!

In the same week, Jim Goughnour, another Davey Plumbing crew member, was working alone in a trench in a very similar situation and was also threatened by a trench collapse. Again, the trench box absorbed the pressure! Fortunately, each cave-in was successfully shielded as the trench boxes were used properly in the soil and depths in which they were rated; ultimately resulting in the prevention of injury and death!

Afterward, Davey called Ellison and told him, "We had two cave-ins this week and the box saved our lives two times! Whatever you want for the box I'll pay you!" He continued, "What price do you put on your life? It seems ridiculous to pinch pennies on trench shoring…whatever it costs its well worth it!" The price for the purchase of this trench box: $4000.

Davey stated, "I've been a contractor for 20 years and I take every hole seriously…We've had countless jobs with cave-ins where the box saved us." He added, "I am a true believer in shoring…We depend on it heavily and the bottom line is that without it we couldn't do our job!" Then he said introspectively, "Death comes by surprise like a thief in the night and I'm not playing any more games." 

 Davey Plumbing: 412-341-0921 / Knickerbocker-Russell: 412-494-9233

Efficiency’s Corru-Lite corrugated aluminum shield.		Davey plumbing crew.