Damage Prevention Safety Seminar

Key Takeaways

• Hundreds of times each day across the U.S., critical underground utility lines on which our communities depend are damaged through digging by contractors and homeowners – that's hundreds of daily opportunities each day for fatalities, injuries, and disruption of business and community operations. (Click here and navigate to “DIRT EXPLORER” to look at damages in your state.)
• Damages like these already cost communities across the country $30 billion annually, and represent a massive amount of public and private resources spent not only repairing utilities and restoring utility service, but also covering property damage, medical bills, and loss of commerce while businesses are interrupted or evacuated.
• The infrastructure boom is bringing unprecedented levels of excavation to communities across the country – engage with local damage prevention stakeholders NOW to prevent these projects from creating catastrophes in your state.
• 77 percent of damage occurs from just three common mistakes, including failing to contact 811 before digging, failing to mark underground utilities accurately or on time, and failing to pothole or maintain adequate clearance from underground utilities when digging.
• 56 percent of homeowners who plan to undertake home improvement projects this year won’t call 811 beforehand – that’s 26.9 million Americans putting themselves and their community at risk.
• Common Ground Alliance (CGA) is the only national non-profit association dedicated to protecting underground utilities, people who dig near them, and their communities.
• CGA announced an ambitious new “50 in 5” challenge of reducing damages by 50 percent in the next 5 years.
• Preventing damage takes everyone working together – utilities, excavators, locators, contractors, homeowners, and local leaders.