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Best Practices
Home
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Best Practices
> Best Practices Guide
Best Practices Guide
Terms and Conditions of Use
1. Introduction
History of the Common Ground Alliance
Establishment of the Common Ground Alliance
CGA Today
Best Practices Manual
Best Practices 15.0 -- New Practices and Modifications
Use of Icons
Guide to Editorial Task Team Procedures
Feedback and Proposed Modifications
Best Practices Process
2. Planning and Design
2.1 Plat Designation of Existing Underground Facility Easements
2.2 Gathering Information for Design Purposes
2.3 Identifying Existing Facilities in Planning and Design
2.4 Utility Coordination
2.5 Markers for Underground Facilities
2.6 Follow All Applicable Codes, Statutes, and Facility Owner/Operator Standards
2.7 Use of Qualified Contractors
2.8 Mandatory Prebid Conferences
2.9 Continuous Interface between the Designer and Potential Contractors During the Prebid/Bid Phase
2.10 Continuous Interface between the Designer and the Contractor During the Construction Phase
2.11 As-built Drawings
2.12 Supply-line Separation
2.13 Trenchless Excavation
2.14 Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE)
2.15 Use of Qualified Designers
2.16 Project Coordination
3. One Call Center
3.1 Proactive Public Awareness, Education, and Damage Prevention Activities
3.2 Specifically Defined Geopolitical Service Area with No Overlap
3.3 Formal Agreements with Members
3.4 One Call Center Governance
3.5 Single Toll-free Statewide Telephone Number with Nationwide Access
3.6 Hours of Operation
3.7 Voice Record of All Incoming Calls
3.8 Retention of Voice Records According to Applicable Statutes
3.9 Caller Feedback
3.10 Printed Ticket Recall
3.11 Documented Operating Procedures, Human Resource Policies, and Training Manuals
3.12 Documented Owner Verification of Data Submitted by Facility Owners/Operators
3.13 Flexibility for Growth and Change
3.14 Meeting between the Excavator and Facility Operator(s) Initiated by One Call Notification
3.15 One Call Center Accepts Notifications from Designers
3.16 Locate Request
3.17 Practices to Reduce Overnotifications
3.18 Disaster Recovery
3.19 Direct Electronic Locate
3.20 Accept Multiple Reference Points for Locate Requests
3.21 One Call Center Security
3.22 Hardware Designed to Tolerate a Single Point of Failure
3.23 One Call Quality Standards
3.24 Web Services Solution
3.25 Identification of Unknown Lines
3.26 One Call Membership
3.27 Electronic Positive Response
3.28 One Call Center Data
3.29 One Call Facility Locate Request Size and Scope
3.30 Locate Information Shared with Excavator
3.31 Enhanced Positive Response
4. Locating and Marking
4.1 Available Records
4.2 Corrections and Updates
4.3 Color Code
4.4 Single Locator
4.5 Locator Training
4.6 Safety
4.7 Visual Inspection
4.8 Facility Marking
4.9 Positive Response to Locate Request
4.10 Marking Multiple Facilities in the Same Trench
4.11 Abandoned Facilities
4.12 Locating Electromagnetically
4.13 Facility Owner/Operator Identification
4.14 Communication between Parties
4.15 Documentation of Work Performed
4.16 Damage Investigation
4.17 Forecasting/Planning for Predictable Workload Fluctuations
4.18 Quality Assurance
4.19 Trenchless Excavation
4.20A Locating and Marking in Navigable Waterways
4.20B Locating and Marking in Navigable Waterways
4.21 Service Lines
4.22 Marking Newly Installed Facilities
5. Excavation
5.1 One Call Facility Locate Request
5.2 White Lining
5.3 Locate Reference Number
5.4 Pre-excavation Meeting
5.5 Facility Relocations
5.6 Separate Locate Requests
5.7 One Call Access (24/7)
5.8 Positive Response
5.9 Facility Owner/Operator Failure to Respond
5.10 Locate Verification
5.11 Documentation of Marks
5.12 Work Site Review with Company Personnel
5.13 One Call Reference at Site
5.14 Contact Names and Numbers
5.15 Facility Avoidance
5.16 Federal and State Regulations
5.17 Marking Preservation
5.18 Excavation Observer
5.19 Excavation Tolerance Zone
5.20 Excavation within Tolerance Zone
5.21 Mismarked Facilities
5.22 Exposed Facility Protection
5.23 Locate Request Updates
5.24 Facility Damage Notification
5.25 Notification of Emergency Personnel
5.26 Emergency Excavation
5.27 Backfilling
5.28 As-built Documentation
5.29 Trenchless Excavation
5.30 Emergency Coordination with Adjacent Facilities
5.31 No Charge for Providing Underground Facility Locations
5.32 Vacuum Excavation
5.33 Facility Owner Provides a Monitor During Excavation
6. Mapping
6.1 Land Base Accuracy
6.2 Latitude/Longitude
Locator
6.7 Training
6.8 Discrepancies
6.9 Feedback
6.3 Up-to-date Land Base Information
Excavator
6.10 Accuracy of Location Information
6.11 Excavation Area Details
6.4 Timely Database Updating
Facility Owner/Operator
6.12 Mapping Data
6.13 Access to Mapping Data
6.14 Mapping Standards
6.15 Quality of Information
6.16 Information Capture
6.5 Electronic Mapping Location Area
Project Owner
6.17 Accuracy of Location Information
6.18 Excavation Area Details
6.6 Availability
Emerging Technologies
7. Compliance
7.1 Public and Enforcement Education
7.2 Incentives
7.3 Penalties
7.4 Damage Recovery
7.5 Enforcement
8. Public Education and Awareness
8.1 Marketing Plan
8.2 Marketing 811 -- A National One Call Number
8.3 Target Audiences and Needs
8.4 Structured Education Programs
8.5 Target Mailings
8.6 Paid Advertising
8.7 Free Media
8.8 Giveaways
8.9 Establishing Strategic Relationships
8.10 Measuring Public Education Success
9. Reporting and Evaluation
9.1 All Stakeholders Report Information
9.2 Standardized Information Is Reported
9.3 Identify the Noncompliant Stakeholder
9.4 Person Reporting Provides Detailed Information
9.5 Requested Information May Change
9.6 A Standardized Form Is Adopted
9.7 The Form Is Simple
9.8 Training Is Provided
9.9 Flexibility on Completing and Returning Form Is Provided
9.10 Vacant
9.11 Stakeholders Complete the Same Form
9.12 An Organization Is Identified to Receive the Information
9.13 The Organization Is Able to Interface with All Stakeholders
Best Practices Associated with Evaluating Damage Prevention Data
9.14 An Organization Evaluates the Data
9.15 The Organization Has Representation from All Stakeholders
9.16 Data Is Used to Improve Damage Prevention Efforts
9.17 Data Is Used to Elevate Underground Damage Awareness
9.18 Data Is Summarized by Key Components
9.19 Root Causes Are Identified
9.20 Results Are Quantified Against a Standardized Risk Factor
9.21 Performance Levels and Trends Are Assessed
10. Miscellaneous
10.1 Homeland Security
Appendix A Glossary of Terms and Definitions
Appendix B Uniform Color Code and Marking Guide
Uniform Color Code
Tolerance Zone
Guidelines for Excavation Delineation
Guidelines for Operator Facility Field Delineation
Color Code Identifiers
Common Abbreviations
Appendix C Sample Forms, Reports, and Releases
Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) - Field Form
Press Release
Appendix D Additional References
End Notes
References
Best Practices Guide
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