Underground Construction - February 2018 - 33

call center. In 2016, that figure
has dropped to once every nine
minutes.
CGA believes that these 12year improvements are due in
large part to improvements in
public awareness about underground facilities, aided significantly by the 2007 launch of 811
as the national three-digit "call
before you dig" phone number.
Annual traffic in both total
visits and unique visitors to
Call811.com has increased more
than five-fold between 2008
and 2017, as damage prevention stakeholders large and small
share the 811 message with the
public on their websites, social
media accounts, utility bills and
at events.
What are CGA's goals for 2018?
The past year, 2017, was a year
of change, as well as a year of
reflection on progress and opportunity. CGA conducted multiple
surveys and focused on updating
its strategic plan to ensure we are
prepared for the next decade of
damage prevention, and making
sure the organization evolves to
match the needs of the industry.
Technology, education, public
awareness and damage reporting
will continue to be a focus as the
industry works towards the ultimate goal of zero damages.
Considering all factors, how
does the association define the
eﬀorts of CGA and its members
in reducing damage to buried
utility infrastructure?
President Sarah Magruder Lyle
said it best: "Committed and
effective. I've never worked for a
trade association that has such
diverse representation amongst
its membership, but they all
agree on a common goal. I have
been consistently impressed by
the dedication of our membership to advance our key programs in an effort to get to zero
damages."

CGA DIRT Report
The CGA Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) is used by stakeholders to share essential details about underground damage or near-miss incidents. The information is then used to determine
root causes which are evaluated and used to focus on programs to prevent underground damage prevention, and how to apply the data to education and training efforts.
The latest DIRT report, based on 2016 data, show that the total, annual excavation-related incidents resulting in damage to buried facilities decreased over 50 percent during the first decade of the
811 "call-before-you-dig" phone number.
Even though there was an increase in damages, the long-term trend is decreasing, as is the trend of
ratio of damages to construction spending.
In addition for the past two years, the DIRT Report has provided an interactive dashboard that
enables users to filter data through a variety of lenses that are of importance to their specific region,
state or stakeholder group.
New in 2017 the dashboard feature centers around PHMSA's determinations on the adequacy of
state damage prevention programs, and users also can now compare 2015 and 2016 data via the interactive dashboard.
Specific areas of encouragement documented in the report include:
* Damages due to a failure to call 811 prior to digging were at a record-low 16 percent, continuing an
encouraging trend.
* The highest number of event submissions and Data Quality Index score to-date.
* A first-ever estimate of the societal costs of damages to underground utilities, which were approximately $1.5 billion in 2016.
* Damages were up 20 percent compared to 2015, but the ratio of damages to construction spending has declined dramatically since DIRT data first started being collected in 2004, and has largely
stabilized in the 300,000-400,000 range since 2010.
* A thought-provoking section on damage prevention paradigms in other countries ignites a discussion on new ideas for improving damage prevention results in the U.S.
A primary value of the DIRT report is identifying root causes of incidents. Percentages of leading
causes of incidents are:
Failure to test hole (pot-hole) ....................... 28.11 percent
Notification NOT made................................... 6.65 percent
Markings/location not sufficient ................. 14.57 percent
Failure to maintain clearance ....................... 11.36 percent
Facility not located/marked............................ 5.19 percent
Abandoned facility ........................................... 4.24 percent
Over the past three years, these have consistently been the top six root causes, although the rank
order may shift year-to-year.
As it does every year, the CGA DIRT evaluation committee makes recommendations for areas of
improvement. The latest report indicates that excavation practices - especially pot-holing and maintaining clearance between excavation equipment and underground facility - should be an area of focus. Another area is accurate and on-time locating.
The shared responsibility approach of CGA allows for all stakeholders involved in damage prevention to build tools and resources to target these root causes.
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Underground Construction - February 2018

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