Part 3 My first-year journey with NC811 is quickly approaching its end. Not my career, but my rookie year of being the Western Region Education Liaison at NC811, and I saved the best for last. We all know change can be difficult, but one thing I learned this year is change is GOOD. The change …
A Year in the Life of a Liaison: My Rookie Season Ends Read More »
After implementing the last Behavioral Based Safety (BBS) Program at a new site, I found myself asking… What is the next step? Continually fascinated by looking at ways anything can be made better and following this philosophy, I started to look at what can be added to a BBS Program to help encourage a better …
THE MORNING SUN MAKES its appearance over the horizon and Paula is already getting herself and her equipment ready for a day of locating. With the morning traffic congestion and the extra time it takes to find parking for the work van, Paula knows the challenges she’ll face today in the big city are much …
Walking in Her Boots – A Day in an Urban Locator’s Boots Read More »
EXCAVATION SAFETY: PROTECTING WORKERS. PROTECTING UTILITIES. Construction work can be dangerous, and underground construction work can pose even more risk. Cave-ins can be the most dangerous and, statistically, are more likely to occur than other excavation-related accidents that may result in worker fatalities, causing as many as 90 fatalities in the last two years alone. …
From the moment we roll out of bed we are surrounded by data and the actions taken because of it. There is the weekly forecast humming on the television, constructed from hundreds of weather station data points. As we scroll through a news feed on our phones as the coffee brews, dozens of ads are …
How Can Field Data Be Used to Drive Actions Throughout the Company? Read More »
It’s not a CONTEST For several years in the early 2000s I had the pleasure of volunteering with the International Locate Rodeo. It was always very gratifying to see locate technicians from all over the country come together to compete with one another in celebration of what is an often under-appreciated trade. Reflecting the environment …
The Quest for One Call’s Holy Grail: A Standardized Ticket “THEY HAVE TRIED FOR 25 YEARS. IT CAN’T BE DONE.” I heard that in 2016 when I asked why One Call business rules are not aligned to produce a common ticket format. Later that same year, we decided to prove them wrong. British Columbia, Alberta, …
Water Infrastructure and Damage Prevention: A Global Perspective NATURAL AND MANMADE bodies of water play a premier role in the equitable balance of human/animal/plant earthly life. Global warming has contributed to glacier melt, flooding and erosion thereby raising sea levels. Earth’s water bodies are being polluted with discarded plastic material, chemical and sewer wastewater, and …
Water Infrastructure and Damage Prevention: A Global Perspective Read More »
I am sure many readers have been tasked with reducing damages, but why is that so important? Damage to underground facilities by excavators is a safety issue for utility companies. Utility companies use several strategies aimed at reducing and, ultimately eliminating, damages. With a greater focus on proactive damage prevention, a patroller program is an …
PATROLLER PROGRAM DRIVES IMPROVED DAMAGE PREVENTION Read More »
