dp-PRO Articles
MISS DIG 811 Private Locate Survey
THE STATE OF MICHIGAN requires a call to 811 to have facilities marked before digging at a job site. However, facility owners (i.e. utility, cable,
Did You Know a Locator Saved Your Life Last Week? Celebrating Locator Safety & Appreciation Week
LOCATOR SAFETY & APPRECIATION Week (LSAW) is April 19-25. This annual celebration brings to the forefront the need to recognize the important job locators do,
Indiana 811 is hitting the Road!
INDIANA 811 is looking forward to hitting the road this year to spread the safe digging message! Indiana 811, who together with Kentucky 811 form
Locating – My Pleasure
As a guy who has been locating for the better part of 25 years, I’ve developed a few opinions about fast food restaurants; they in
NUCA of WA
NUCA of WA is the Western Washington Chapter of the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA National). Consisting of approximately 75 members, the organization is a
Unsafe Digging Leaves Everlasting Impact
Damage to a small natural gas distribution pipeline destroyed one home, damaged several other homes, sent three individuals to emergency care, injured 40 others, displaced
The Rise of First Amendment Audits and Its Impact on YOU!
“IF THEY CANNOT PROVOKE A CONFRONTATION, THEY WILL TYPICALLY LEAVE. TO AN AUDITOR, POLITE + FRIENDLY = BORING.” A First Amendment Audit. Most of us
ERGONOMICS
Ergonomics is the way you use your body to work and fitting the job or task to you to reduce your risk of injury. The
How GIS Is TRANSFORMING Pipeline Safety for Municipal Utilities
THE YEAR IS 2001. Collectively, we had just survived Y2K, the twin towers still stood in NYC, and pipeline regulations were starting to be a
SPECIAL FOCUS – The Inaugural Global Locate Masters (GLM)
The Inaugural Global Locate Masters (GLM) is scheduled to take place during Damage Prevention Week at the 2022 Global Excavation Safety Conference in Phoenix, Arizona,
Harnessing the Power of Facility Mapping Data
As members of the damage prevention industry, we not only strive to obtain more or better data, but to also identify better ways of harnessing
Minnesota Underground Utilities Mapping Project Team
The Minnesota Underground Utilities Mapping Project Team (UUMPT), within the Minnesota Geospatial Advisory Council Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC), was formed in August 2020. The UUMPT
Next Generation of Subsurface Mapping
For the past century, the subsurface has been filling up. Oil and gas pipes, sewage systems, power lines, optic fibers, and more, have turned what
Giving Back – Traffic Management Operative Saves Young Man’s Life on his Way to Work
ON JANUARY 6, 2021, Jason Wiggins, traffic management operative with Sapphire Utility Solutions, was heading to work at Bamber Bridge in Preston, England. While he
Damage Prevention Hero – Dora Parks – Just call her “Miss Utility”
EVERY ISSUE WHEN WE START INTERVIEWING PEOPLE TO WRITE OUR DAMAGE PREVENTION HERO ARTICLE, WE NEVER HAVE A SHORTAGE OF VOLUNTEERS WILLING TO SHARE THEIR
Ask the DP Pro
Q How can Contractors Mitigate Risk on Trenchless Pipeline Projects? THIS RESPONSE FOCUSES on horizontal directional drilling (HDD), probably the most common method of trenchless
Social Media
HOT # TAGS A recent Bluefield Research report predicts total spend across the range of trenchless technology options exceeding $52.5 billion over the next
From the Publisher – Planning is Underway for the 2022 LIVE Global Excavation Safety Conference
Earlier this month, Infrastructure Resources produced our first Global Excavation Safety Conference VIRTUAL. With over 50 educational sessions, three daily networking events, and featured sponsor
Re-Notify: Why Should I Call When there are No Markings?
IT IS YOUR LAWFUL START DATE. You arrived on site and see some colored flags and paint. The gas company has marked. It looks like
Locating Guidelines
Successfully locating and identifying buried utilities is a process of elimination – elimination of mistakes. A thorough understanding of the jobsite and the equipment’s correct
Tackling the Complexities of Heat Stress
It is imperative to understand how to protect individual workers’ health under hot conditions. Knowing all aspects of heat risks on the job saves lives,
Locating – Buckle Up
The CGA Best Practices includes an unusual item within Chapter Four, the section dealing with Locating and Marking. Number 17 among the Best Practices is
Legal – Can Nonprofits Engage in Political Activity?
Protecting the Tax-Exempt Status of 501(c) (6) and 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organizations Many nonprofit organizations watched with great interest as this election season played out, and
Leading People
ONE Ringy-Dingy! It just never stops! The phone rings, the spam calls continue, a person walks in your office, and the list grows longer by
Public Awareness – Miss Utility Recognizes Locate Technicians in 17th Annual Locator Achievement Awards
MISS UTILITY of Maryland/District One Call recently recognized 60 outstanding locate technicians for their dedication to damage prevention and exemplary performance with zero safety violations
Public Awareness – The Unveiling of New York 811’s New VR-X-SIM
Ready for Reveal Throughout the winter I’ve had the pleasure of revealing aspects of New York 811’s new VR-X-SIM, an immersive virtual reality (VR) tool
Public Awareness – Tailgate Wraps Share an Important Message
WE ARE ALL LOOKING for creative ways to share the message to our communities about 811. At NC811, our Education Team focuses on how we
How we moved our Entire Workforce from the Office to Home – Part 2
WORKING IN THE PANDEMIC When I wrote about our move to working from home in the last issue (Winter, Part 1), our entire company had
The Locator’s Role in Enforcement… promoting the awareness and use of safe digging practices
THE LOCATOR’S ROLE IN ENFORCEMENT Since July of 2015, Tennessee law has included enforcement which allows individuals to file a complaint through the Tennessee Public
Leveraging Emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technologies to Solve our Data Problems in Underground Construction
THE BUILT WORLD presents those of us involved in utility conflict avoidance with copious challenges, and utilities and services contractors alike are, these days, actively
How Several Leading Utilities are Reducing Underground Infrastructure Damages
I COME FROM a family of excavators and have spent much of my career working with infrastructure owners and operators. If there is one thing
Coordinate PA: a Web Application Developed to help Maximize the Benefits of Shared Costs and Project Coordination to Prevent Damage to Underground Utilities
What is Coordinate PA? Coordinate PA is the web application developed to help maximize the benefits of shared costs and project coordination to prevent damage
Social Marketing for Damage Prevention: The Click or Call Before You Dig Partnership Campaign
No one wakes up expecting to hit a utility line when digging around their yard, but if they do – it could have serious consequences.
Five Fiber Outages Prove the Importance of Telecom Damage Prevention
Damages to gas utilities tend to get the lion’s share of media coverage and, therefore, tend to be what comes to mind when you think
Ready, Respond, Recover
Ready, Respond, Recover Damage Prevention Best Practices Following a Disaster When it comes to damage prevention following a disaster, Ready, Respond, Recover is an easy