What s new! Presentation Overview. Marking Color Codes. Mission and Goals Diggers Hotline of Nebraska. Safe Digging.

Transcription

1 Damage Prevention and the One Call Process Mission and Goals Diggers Hotline of Nebraska Safe Digging Protecting the general public and environment Damage Prevention Protecting underground facilities What s new! Diggers Hotline of Nebraska Call Center has a new vendor as of November 1, 2012 Overview of excavation/ One Call process Excavator updates ticket if excavation will continue beyond 5 business days. Excavator notifies Digger s Hotline of intent to dig. Excavator begins excavation upon lines being located or cleared. Digger s Hotline notifies affected Member Utilities of need to locate their facilities. Tyler Nesheim Susan Lynch - Jill Geyer Member Utilities Locate or clear the underground lines within 2 business days. Presentation Overview One Call Process and Law Damage information and statistics Placing a Locate Request Q & A Marking Color Codes ELECTRIC GAS CABLE WATER SEWER PROPOSED EXCAVATION 1

2 Stakeholder Responsibilities For Damage Prevention and Public Safety Excavator Locator Utility Owner One Call Center Responsibility for ALL Stakeholders is to understand the system is not perfect. Familiarity and adherence to accepted industry Best Practices can help fill the gray areas. Nationwide Best Practices available via the Common Ground Alliance Website "The Attorney General Information and Complaint Form" Digger s Hotline does not enforce the law, we only assist in helping to interpret. The Attorney General s Office reviews complaints from citizens, excavators and underground facility operators for civil penalty actions under the One-Call Notification Act... i.e. digging with no current locate ticket. Fine can be up to $10,000 per day Downloadable Complaint Form available on the Digger s Hotline Website Examples of situation where this form would be used: Any violation of the Nebraska One Call Notification Act No locate request placed prior to digging Damaged line not reported Locate not completed by start time Digging prior to 48 hour start time Attorney General Complaint Form One Call Center Receive locate requests from all statewide excavators during normal business hours. Notify all utility owners with facilities in proposed excavation site. Notify and record all reported damage data. Public awareness for compliance and public safety. The Call Center does not physically locate the utilities nor do we create or enforce the Law 2

3 Utility Owner Membership and participation in the Statewide One-Call Notification Center. Ensure all facility information is up to date with the Center Locate facilities within 2 business days of proposed excavation Notify the excavator if they are All Clear by phone, fax, or by marking CLEAR on site Respond as soon as possible to Emergency tickets 2 hours Metro areas Remark all unidentifiable locates Statute Damage; duty of excavator. If any underground facility is damaged, dislocated or disturbed before or during excavation, the excavator shall immediately notify the Center. All Utility Companies within excavation site will be notified of damaged - you will not need to contact the individual company separately. This is one of the main reasons for the One Call Notification Act. Excavator Responsibilities File a locate request at least 2 business days, but no more than 10 business days prior to excavation. Report any utility that does not mark or give ALL CLEAR, prior to excavation by filing a No Response ticket Report Incorrect Locate to Call Center prior to digging Request a Meet ticket for large projects Phone only Meet time can be no earlier than start time Utilities are not required to attend Dig with reasonable care Request a Refresh if the markings become unclear or the excavation will continue for longer than 5 business days on non permanent surfaces White Line, white line, white line Consequences of damages Injury Damaged Utilities Loss of use of utilities Cost to repair utilities Fines Report all damage data to One Call Center Reporting Nebraska Damages Gas work involved in 11% of reported damages Trencher used in 42% of reported damages IMPORTANCE OF REPORTING DAMAGES: Damage analysis is used for DAMAGE PREVENTION education What do the Nebraska Statutes require if a damage occurs?? One Call: Outreach, Education, and Training Promotional Materials** **see me for promotional materials! Telecom/CATV hit 50% of the time In all reported damages 3

4 NATGAS 170 ELECTRIC Type of Facility Damaged UNKNOWN 785 WATERSEWER TELECOM/ CATV 1,332 Call Before you Dig! What % of damages occur when the Excavator has placed a locate request prior to excavation? A. More than 50% B % C % D. Less than 1%??? Type of Excavation Tool Being Used at the Time of Damage TRENCHER 42% GRADESCAPE 2% DRILLING 1% BORING 7% BACKHOE 15% HANDTOOLS 10% UNKNOWN 11% AUGER 12% Root Cause of Excavator Damage with current locate request Prior to 48 hours 13% Not enough information 5% Beyond 5 Days/Prior to 48 hours (Update) 13% Beyond 5 Days 69% Digging outside the life of the markings NATGAS Type of Work Performed at the Time of Damage UNKNOWN ELECTRIC FENCING WATER SITEDEVEL SEWER TELECOM CATV LANDSCAPING POLE IRRIGATION ROADWORK The Excavator makes the call, waits for the marks and does everything right... and a damage still occurs! How does this happen...? 4

5 Why do Damages occur even with a Current Locate Request Helpful Hints for placing a Locate Request! Not Collected 6% Incorrect Locate 7% Not Located 25% Unknown - Marks Reported as Accurate 12% Current Locate Request 50% Ticket info issue Unclear instructions Mapping incorrect Locating issue Check if all utilities notified have located prior to digging No Response ticket if not Who holds the responsibility for calling in the Locate Request??? Tolerance Zone 18 inches plus ½ the width of the utility /2 Who holds the responsibility for calling in the Locate Request? The individual that will be breaking ground (The Excavator) is responsible for calling in the Locate Request Not the property owner that has hired the work out General Contractor Ticket does not cover sub-contractors What is the definition of an Emergency? An emergency means any condition which constitutes a clear and present danger to life, health, or property or which demands immediate action to prevent or repair a major service outage Poor planning on the part of the person digging does not constitute a locate request being sent as an emergency. See Two Ways to Request a Locate Call the center directly OCC operators 24/7 365 days a year 811 or ITIC Online Ticket Entry Website: 5

6 Phone Training: Online Ticketing Training available Webinar Wednesdays: see website for schedule One on One or Small Group Customized Training On-Site Training: Customized training can be conducted on site for a group of any size. All technology can be provided by OCC. Website videos and manual: Visit the training tab at for comprehensive video training and a downloadable reference manual Training Website: Contact me for login information if interested Contact Susan Lynch or Jill Geyer to schedule your training today! How much area can I have on a locate request? The State Board of Directors have asked that each ticket contain: No more than 5 addresses in the same hundred block be put on each locate request. Intersection to intersection if the work does not involve locating individual addresses. Outside city limits - up to six miles per locate if it is continuous work along a road. What s great about Online Ticket Entry Hard copies of tickets: All tickets are ed to requester including a map of the dig site, utilities notified, and all other ticket information Ticket Search and History: Search for tickets various ways; records are kept for 5 years 3 ways to get help mid-ticket: Hover help, Pop-up info window, Chat Live Customized Profiles: Re-usable templates you create that auto-fill selected fields to save time on ticket entry Mapping: Three types of maps available to make mapping dig site accurate and precise City Mapping Utilities are gridded under the map, dig site drawn determines which utilities will be notified. Incorrect mapping = possible missed utilities. How to make sure everyone is on the same page... Premark (white line) the area where you ll be digging Consider a Meet for large projects Ensure the phone number you provide will directly reach you during all business hours Rural Mapping Outside City Limits Driving directions and an address or intersection are required. TRSQ is required if intersection not found. Incorrect mapping = possible missed utilities. 6

7 One Call Ticket Expiration The Utilities are required to mark in a manner that will last for a minimum of 5 business days on any nonpermanent surface and a minimum of 10 business days on any permanent surface ( (2)) Utilities do not have to guarantee any marks after the 5-10 business days. No other language is included in the Statutes regarding One Call Ticket expiration CGA National Survey of Homeowners Results 40% of homeowners plan to dig this year Nearly half (45%) will NOT call before they dig 2/3 believe they will not hit an underground utility Damage occurs less than 1% of the time IF the homeowner calls before they dig Updating a Ticket Determine scope of dig site and work schedule for continued updates on large projects Two ways to update: Refresh or Change Refresh updates can be done via the automated phone system Remember 48 hour rule also applies to an Update Ticket.plan accordingly! Promotional Items Available White flags for pre-marking Locate Request help sheets Excavator Manuals Color Code Cards Miscellaneous giveaways To request promotional items, please contact Jill Geyer or visit our website at Have you ever placed a locate request for your personal property Call Before You Dig applies to ALL digging. Outreach How can I get more involved? CGN Common Ground Nebraska Volunteer Statewide organization Membership includes all Stakeholder groups involved in Underground Utility Damage Annual Underground Safety Summit Underground Locator Workshops Excavator Breakfast & Training Statewide mailings Billboard/Radio Advertising For additional information on upcoming meetings/events, please contact Jill Geyer,

8 Let s work together to avoid this... Questions?? 8