Underground Construction - August 2020 - 18

Cross Bore Risk Reduction Protects Contractors
reduction are numerous. There is greater
the daylighting by using GPS, plus either
discussion of all stakeholder elements in
a photo or video showing the two utilities
the full, 88-page document.
crossing safely, with date and location.
With a focus of this article on contracSave these records for separate validation.
tors, specific guidance is included below:
* Specify safe installation operations in
* Ensure that all utilities are known.
work documents and the owner of the
811 locate laws generally exempt sewer
utility should ensure safe operations
utilities from performing useful locates.
are being conducted. Follow-up
Where sewers are not fully located,
verification by inspection is appropriate
extra efforts must be taken. Often,
in most cases. Include the costs for safe
inspection cameras with transmitting
operations in the utility budget and
radio sondes are used to locate the
reflect them in fair evaluation of bids.
sewer lines and navigate branch
A lower price is not a good deal if safe
laterals that may be present.
processes are not being used.
* Include post-construction inspections of
* Contractors should evaluate and
sewers, typically with CCTV cameras, to
recognize the risks of working for utilities
ensure a cross bore was not inadvertently
that do not have specific processes
created. Track the traverse to ensure the
to adequately support consistent
inspection extends beyond the crossimplementation of Leading Practices
bore risk, typically with GPS-collected
for Cross Bore Risk Reduction and other
mapping. Validate with secondary review.
damage prevention measures. Weak
* Follow requirements for exposing all
damage prevention and verification
crossings. Leading Practices for Cross
requirements of a utility may result
Bore Risk Reduction includes optional
in higher risks to the contractor. The
Bore_Spacer-Ad_UC_2020.pdf 1 2/24/2020 10:40:27 AM
recommendation
for verification. Locate
contractor may even determine the risk

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AUGUST 2020 | UConOnline.com

does not justify working for that utility.
* Use verifiable processes that will
confirm safe damage prevention has
been implemented and used beyond
the full extent of the risk. Save
confirming data long-term; if an issue
comes up later, defense preparation
will be rapid and less costly.
* Review and adopt Leading Practices
for Cross Bore Risk Reduction, as
appropriate to your application.
In summary, high-confidence and
verifiable processes are the friends of
contractors and utilities. Using Leading
Practices for Cross Bore Risk Reduction can
help achieve your safety and financial
goals while protecting the continued use
of trenchless methods. *
MARK BRUCE is a civil engineer, with 45 years
of experience in the construction, manufacturing
and services industries, including 20 years of ISO
9001 quality system expertise. Currently, he is
serving as the president of the Cross Bore Safety
Association. mark.bruce@crossboresafety.org
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Underground Construction - August 2020

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