Senate Bill 1235 passed the Pennsylvania legislature in October, preventing the original Underground Utility Line Protection Law (One Call Law) from expiring as scheduled at the end of 2016. The law was set to end exemptions for Class One gathering lines that connect natural gas wells with pipelines in rural areas, require operators to map …
Two construction workers were killed in October when a Boston water main line burst, flooding the trench they were working in. The men were employed by Atlantic Drain Service Co. The trench was about 20 feet long and two feet wide, about 12-15 feet deep. It is unclear how the water line ruptured. Officials indicated …
Construction Workers Killed in Boston Water Main Accident Read More »
In April 2015, a local California public works department attempts to widen a freeway access road with heavy digging equipment. In the process, workers damage a high pressure transmission pipeline, causing the release and ignition of natural gas, killing one individual and injuring 11 others. In February 2013, a third-party contractor installing a cable television …
PHMSA Continues to Strengthen Pipeline Damage Prevention Rules Read More »
Dogs’ superior olfactory capabilities register in the parts per billion vs. parts per million of modern day technology. This amazing capability is bringing them back to the oil and gas industry where, in years past, their success rate in leak detection has been as high as 99%. Combining the technology of mapping with the dogs’ …
Dogs: Man’s Best Friend with Superhero Power of Smell Read More »
Through the 2016 PIPES Act, PHMSA is mandated to conduct a study to: 1. Identify methods using location and mapping practices or technologies to improve existing damage prevention programs and thereby reduce damages to buried infrastructure. 2. Analyze how increased use of global positioning system digital mapping technologies, predictive analytic tools, public awareness initiatives (including …
Who’s number one? Who’s the best at what they do? That’s a question people have been asking themselves since the Greeks organized the first Olympic games. And while it wasn’t televised like the Olympics in Rio, the 2016 International Utility Locate Rodeo showcased the best of the best and crowned some champions! Texas811 hosted the …
Texas811 Hosts International Locate Rodeo Finals Read More »
Not unlike the assembly of water, sewer, or electrical cable pipeline, creating a clear path for growth for one’s team to follow has tremendous value. The process is not easy, but has more similarities to the construction of a physical pipeline than one might think. Once assembled, the development of needed skills becomes more fluid, …
Leading People – Assembling a Leadership Pipeline Read More »
If you want something done, give it to the busy guy. He’s busy for a reason. The vast majority of damage prevention goals and objectives are achieved through volunteer efforts by subject matter experts lending their time, energy and knowledge to the cause. We lean on these folks and relentlessly soak in their volunteerism. And, …
Question: I’ve always used the word “abandoned” to describe an unused pipe in the ground, but lately I’ve been hearing the term “out-of-service.” Is there a difference between them? And, if not, which one is the right one to use? Answer: The term “abandoned” has long been used by laymen, utility owners, and professionals alike …
As I listened to Jim Anspach’s keynote address on the History of the Common Ground Alliance (see the article based on the transcript of his keynote on page 44) at the CCGA Damage Prevention Symposium in Banff last October, I began to reflect on how the industry was founded and how far we have come. …
