When you are looking for a horizontal directional driller, it is important to do your due diligence. You may think that as long as the HDD contractor is licensed and insured, that you are safe from any harm to yourself or your property. Unfortunately, this isn’t always true. Many have been victims of failed projects to a contracted driller’s inexperience, neglect, or other wrongful behavior. This is not to say that all contractors are careless.
There are many experienced, skilled, and reputable HDD contractors out there who take every precaution to their projects. However, there are also some who do not perform the necessary daily safety checks or don’t have the best equipment which can put you at risk.
If you’re looking to hire a contractor for your next horizontal directional drilling project, make sure you don’t become a part of the 60% who have experienced problems in working with medicare providers.
Risks Involved With Contracting Horizontal Directional Drillers
You choose to do business with a contractor because you expect professional and high quality results. Unfortunately, instead of a completed or satisfactory project, some ended up filing complaints against HDD contractors due to poor workmanship, inadequate safety measures during drilling, billing problems after being paid in full by clients or agencies.
As such, before hiring an HDD contractor, make sure you know how they work and what dangers come with them.
Expenses
The first risk is the hefty price tag attached to hiring such a well-known company. These companies charge up to six times the rate of their conventional counterparts, which quickly adds up when considering that your job may require multiple attempts due to issues with the drill path.
There are also associated risks with putting heavy machinery into your property without having it secured properly.
Additionally, these companies often neglect to mention important factors during their sales pitch, such as an increase in noise levels or traffic during the digging process. This can be a major inconvenience for those who live near the project site.
Safety
If you don’t choose the right hdd contractor, you might run into significant safety problems. For example, if an inexperienced operator is at the controls of the equipment, they may not have enough knowledge to recognize when something goes wrong or how to quickly find a solution.
When this happens, it could lead to a safety incident that could lead to injuries, death, damages to property, and environmental disruptions.
Equipment
Some contractors take on too many projects, which means they don’t have enough time to dedicate to each individual project, or worse yet, they don’t have enough equipment to handle each project.
HDD drilling is a time consuming process that requires a great deal of expertise and attention to detail. If the company you’re considering working with doesn’t have the right number of equipment, you could be waiting weeks for your line to get installed which could mean huge losses for your business.
Experience
Another risk you’re taking is that of an inexperienced contractor. If your contractor doesn’t have any experience with HDD drilling, you could be in for a rough journey.
The right equipment used incorrectly can do more harm than good, and lacking the proper knowledge to run it can make things even worse, which could easily jeopardize the project. Thus, always look for a contractor with credible and proven experience in HDD projects.
Environment
Finally, there may be environmental risks involved when using a powerful drilling machine, as it can lead to damage of natural resources and contamination of soil and groundwater. Some contractors who use these machines are often unprepared to take on this level of risk. If you don’t want to run the risks of putting your project in jeopardy, work with an hdd contractor who has a proven track record in project safety and completion. Moreover, an ideal contractor should have years of experience and have partnered up with well respected equipment manufacturers that will work to ensure smooth operations for both parties involved.
