A few years ago Geoff Zeiss and Dr. Sakura Shinoaki wrote a white paper called Reducing Damage to Underground Utility Infrastructure during Excavation. In it they outlined ten main topics and concluded with 25 recommendations 25!! This was a hefty piece of research and expertise rolled into one, that sought to challenge the status quo in damage prevention and draw …
Utility locating is one of the most pivotal elements in ensuring safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in project execution. There are several key considerations which are often overlooked during project pre-planning that I think would help improve project timeliness and ultimately reduce damages. Unveiling the nuances of 811 and private utility locators unveils critical insights pivotal for a secure and robust …
Here are some of the biggest stories which impacted the industry from the last year… JANUARY Mark Brennan shared his decision to exit the utility locating industry after two decades of service. Working in a large city in upstate New York, he specialized in locating various utilities, including water, sewer, drainage, and electrical lines. In his insightful account, Mark highlighted …
I was speaking to the owner of a small locate firm recently and he told me that he almost exclusively hires former police detectives. Hopefully I’m not unveiling his big secret to the world but he seemed pretty enthusiastic about how detail and goal oriented they could be. In the world of damage prevention and utility locating, the unexpected connection …
Who’s read the new Common Ground Alliance Telecom White Paper?Here’s a quick 4 point rundown from my perspective:1. The paper highlights a prevailing perception within the telecom sector that damages to buried infrastructure are deemed inevitable and consequently accepted as part of the business model. This acceptance seems rooted in the industry’s focus on recovering repair costs rather than proactively …
The video below by Jason Camissa on Tesla’s Cybertruck sparked a wave of imaginative possibilities for me. Elon Musk’s pursuit of a futuristic design, prompted by his son’s question, “why doesn’t the future look like the future?” – led to groundbreaking innovations like the stainless steel exoskeleton and cutting-edge technologies such as the 48-volt system and steer-by-wire technology. But rather …
I shared a video this week with some pretty startling footage, and judging by the comments it’s a relatively common occurrence. In the video a homeowner is accosting a locator because she seems to believe he’s trespassing or is a threat. This mostly boils down to the ignorance of the general public about locating and the 811 industry as a …
Excavation projects, vital for development and infrastructure, often encounter a lurking menace beneath the surface: ‘Ghost’ Utilities. These are the elusive, forgotten, or abandoned facilities that pose a substantial threat to safety and efficiency during excavation processes. The 2022 DIRT Report recorded 477 unique damages due to abandoned facilities, which isn’t a lot in view of all the other damages, …
Excavation projects, vital for development and infrastructure, often encounter a lurking menace beneath the surface: ‘Ghost’ Utilities. These are the elusive, forgotten, or abandoned facilities that pose a substantial threat to safety and efficiency during excavation processes. The 2022 DIRT Report recorded 477 unique damages due to abandoned facilities, which isn’t a lot in view of all the other damages, …
The CGA Fall Committee Summit was a great event this year and worthwhile for any stakeholder involved in damage prevention and infrastructure safety. Gathering over 160 passionate professionals in the field, this years summit was an epicenter of innovation, collaboration, and forward-thinking strategies. One of the standout features was the dedicated focus on leveraging precise mapping and timely locates to …