White Papers

Data Driven Resources

The CGA has been the leading authority on underground utility damage prevention since its founding nearly two decades ago. CGA’s core philosophy has always been to provide a forum for stakeholder collaboration to determine why damages and near-miss events occur, and what we can do to prevent them in the future. The collaborative analysis approach has undoubtedly helped equip all stakeholders with the information needed to develop strategic plans for better damage prevention. As the industry continues to grow and change, CGA is taking a data-driven approach to forming insights and creating resources for members to focus efforts and campaigns intended to support safe digging.

Annually, CGA conducts research and analysis in several strategic areas that can impact damage prevention and produces reports and papers highlighting key takeaways and recommendations.

2023 Telecom White Paper

2023 telecommunications research – the fourth in CGA’s series of White Papers – is being published at a time when record-high excavation activity meets persistent inefficiencies in the damage prevention system. According to CGA’s 2022 DIRT Report, the rate of damages to buried utilities has plateaued for the better part of a decade as the 811 system has struggled to match the excavation demands of a technology-driven world. Now, $65 billion in federal funding to expand high-speed internet access is being deployed across the U.S. concurrently with hundreds of billions of federal and state dollars funding additional infrastructure improvements, resulting in a massive increase in excavation at an already challenging time.

Read the Telecom White Paper

White Paper Resources

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2020 Locator White Paper

Locating buried utilities is a critical component of the damage prevention process. With demand for utility locates increasing, pressure has intensified for the locating industry to deliver timely and accurate locates. According to the Common Ground Alliance’s most recent Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report, more than 20% of annual damages to buried infrastructure are attributed to locating issues, which indicates that the damage prevention industry still has work to do to ensure that buried utilities are marked correctly and on time.

CGA recently worked with a third-party research firm to survey more than 400 locators to determine how the industry as a whole can work with these stakeholders to make the safe excavation process work more efficiently -- and effectively -- for everyone. As a result, CGA published key takeaways and findings: Insights into Improving Accurate, On-Time Locates.

 

 

Damage Prevention in Your State

Explore damage prevention information, local contacts and rules for safe digging in North America.

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CGA Toolkits

CGA has created a suite of toolkits designed to help members generate public awareness about the importance of damage prevention.

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