Page 14 - Texas811 Magazine 2017 Issue 1

‘ V’ . ,__ _ l’: ‘V g. _.-.
. ‘ A V A I , f . _ . - .
_ J ‘K . _ - ___; -r r_ -~ 2 " .
* - ;- 5* ‘ ‘ "
. ~ - " ‘ ‘— \
'1 I ' , ‘P. E .
u; v
- ' J: J ' = E‘
- ‘ 9 2. K
’ ii .
-. . / ..
;4_ r k_' 4»
C ‘ . - 19 I V / I‘ “: ’
i.. , ‘ ". g-. .
- Q . . ‘T
1 {A . A I \ "’
3? . I 7 - V - 7 § ‘
_ v :.-.3‘, ‘ ‘ Q . . g . _ ‘
4 ‘. A '.. v?’ Q-. *
- ‘ , ' « '§?<»:.r ‘
‘ '* .i ‘I ‘ xii‘ ‘
S -\-‘V mm‘. '7 I E ‘V 1‘
V l
tn. Em
A _ >
hy is it with the most the damage still occurred? We’ve got than just dealing with damages. The
technologically advanced to get beyond trying to assign blame active interest of excavators, locators,
locating equipment in based solely on, "Are there marks on underground facility owners, operators,
the history of locating the ground?” and, "Aie the marks on or safety advocates, state regulators,
underground utilities, damages still off?” The solutions may involve better municipalities and one call centers are
occur due to a mismarked line or training, experience level or failure to critical to developing a long lasting
pipe? Excavation equipment is now comply with policies. But the idea of, damage prevention program.
manufactured with safety in mind. "You had a damage and you are gone,"
. . , . In many states, these stakeholders
The great push toward soft digging, doesn t resolve any of these issues h . d “R . 1 P m ,,
or properly exposing underground either short or long term. “V9 °'g“““e as eg‘°““. 3' “S
. . . . . . of the Common Ground Alliance
facilities, is certainly a step in the . . .
. . . . We cannot maintain an effective (CGA), where they collaborate to

right direction, yet damages continue . . .

to Om" and in some locations at an damage pbl'€VET|fID1'|‘Of ptifellne saftety gnhanice Safelydalgld rletducegéixages
alarming ma program y answering ose ques ions o un ergroun aci i ies. I

with a simple yes or no. From company Regional Partnerships are built upon

Not so long ago I heard fiom a to company and state to state, we work the principle that safety and damage
contractor whose solution was to with organizations who have resigned prevention is a shared responsibility.
fire anybody on his crew who had a themselves to the fact that things can’t Improvements in underground
damage. That might work but to my or won’t change. facility safety and damage prevention
knowledge it never has worked before. Th . 1 I, f ll I, 1 are dependent upon getting all

And you will certainly run out of 9" “P 3",“ ‘°““’ “'9 P“ 9? Y '3 ‘°““ stakeholders to embrace this principle.

. and persuasive to all who will accept
employees somewhere down the line. . . . . . .
S 1 , H 1 d b th t the status quo or the majority opinions All of us working separately will never
ure y we ve a earne y now a . .

. , ,, . H of those who have resigned themselves be able to do what all of us working

it s not, Did you have the damage?

but’ “Why did the damage Own?” that to second best. together canddo. dln order for anytlgof
must be understood. Yet such individuals or organizations :9 ::;:3fh1:':i‘::‘m‘i‘:;‘
why did it occur? was there a failure 3" "e‘“,3 Passed by e.V,e‘>’ day by , of ideas of the various stakeholders.

. those with far less ability who haven t . .

in the piocess to prevent the damage? 1 d h t ,t b d D Additionally, each stakeholder group
or did everybody do everything that “me I,“ é.‘ ‘aft 11* d9?" image I has different needs that we’d never
was within their level of expertise and “"9" ‘°“ ‘S 3 ° 3 Y ‘ 9”“ ‘°“‘eP know about unless we made the effort

to work together.
12 ~ Texasfill 2017, Issue 1