The CGA report is composed of data from it’s Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) that illustrates recent utility damage trends (2006), as well as results from a national public opinion study of ‘do-it-yourself’ householders. This information, along with a series of relevant trend data, raises concerns about a likely increase in digging potentially resulting in an increase in utility damages for the remainder of 2008 and beyond. According to the Assessment, people who fail to notify a local one-call centre before digging cause approximately 40% of all utility damages, making it the top reason for these dangerous and costly incidents. This statistic jumps to 60% for landscaping and fence building, two types of projects that typically occur near homes.
The nation’s 62 one-call centres, located in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, contact appropriate utility companies after receiving a call from someone who intends to dig. Technicians from these utility companies then go to the site and mark the approximate location of their lines with water-soluble paint or flags to reduce the likelihood of an excavator striking a line.
The projected growth in DIY projects is of particular a concern because, according to a 2007 public opinion study by CGA, only 33% DIYers contact their utility companies through a local one-call centre before digging. “The current level of annual utility damages threatens public safety and reliable access to power, heat, water and communication services, and we’re concerned it could be worse in 2008 with the increase in planned DIY projects,” said CGA President Bob Kipp. “The data in our Assessment illustrate the need for a higher level of public awareness about the risks associated with digging without first contacting a local one-call centre.”
In the US, 811 was launched as a national call-before-you-dig telephone number in May, 2007, as a way to reach all 62 one-call centres with the same, easy-to-remember, phone number. The number earned this designation from the Federal Communications Commission in 2005 at the direction of an Act of Congress in 2002, and Americans have made more than 15 million calls to one-call centres since 811’s launch. However, the data from the Assessment indicate that call volume must rise considerably beyond this figure in the coming years for Americans to achieve a higher level of safety and service reliability. “Having a single call-before-you-dig number that works in all parts of the country has been one of the largest breakthroughs in protecting our underground infrastructure and the people who dig,” said Carl Johnson, Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a division of the US Department of Transportation. “The next milestone will occur when all Americans call 811 as the first step in their project planning. If 911 is the number to call to report emergencies, 811 is the number to call to help prevent them when digging around your home.”
To generate this increased call volume to 811, CGA and its 1,400 stakeholders designated May as National Safe Digging Month.
