AS PART OF OUR CELEBRATION OF THE 50TH ISSUE OF THE DP-PRO, WE THOUGHT WE WOULD REPUBLISH THE VERY FIRST “ASK THE DP PRO” FROM OUR INAUGURAL ISSUE AND RESPOND WITH AN UPDATED ANSWER. THE QUESTION ASKED REMAINS TOPICAL, AND IN THIS CASE, THE ANSWER REMAINS THE SAME.
Q: Is it possible to locate the depth of a facility and, if so, why don’t locators provide depth measurements?
A: The vast majority of the time, the locator can determine the depth of a facility. In fact, the use of depth along with current reading is one of the steps to determine if the locator has identified the correct facility.
A number of factors, including multiple facilities in the area, poor signal and an inability to directly connect to the facility, can cause the reading to be inaccurate.
This is one of the reasons that depth is not provided to the excavator. Liability also plays a role in the situation. Who is liable if the depth given is incorrect?
