CGA Summer Committee Summit Attendees Address No-Call Damages to Drive 50 in 5 Progress

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2023 CGA Summer Committee Summit this week in sunny Gulf Shores, Ala.! The Summit brought together more than 150 members across all 16 of CGA’s stakeholder groups to address the top root cause of all underground damages: no notification made to the 811 center.

We were thrilled with the engagement and collaboration of attendees throughout the Summit’s committee meetings and breakout sessions. This collective effort will help develop innovative solutions to improve the safety of our underground infrastructure while fostering a culture of responsibility across all stakeholder groups.

Key takeaways identified by CGA’s committees and advisory groups during the 2023 Summer Summit include:

Best Practices: With minor editorial changes, the Committee approved recommended modifications to Best Practice 5-9 (Facility Owner/Operator Failure to Respond) and 5-10 (Locate Verification). We also heard from members about programs that are effectively helping to reduce no-call damages.

Data: The committee reviewed 2022 DIRT Report data and discussed 50 in 5 strategies for improving the quality of data submitted to DIRT, including aligning existing and future data to DIRT fields. We also reviewed member examples of quality control processes that help us better understand root causes, and the future impact of the Damage Prevention Institute on insights from DIRT.

Education: Moving from awareness to behavior change mindset as we educate excavation professionals was a major focus of the Committee’s discussions this week. We had engaging discussions about forward-thinking strategies for using multi-channel campaigns and influencers to not only reach those who are digging, but also change the cost-benefit analysis made by those who choose not to notify 811 beforehand. We also discussed the ongoing excavator training curriculum project.

OCSI: We got consensus on a coordinated national email and digital campaign to excavators focusing on no-call damages. To be launched this autumn, the campaign will contain specific messaging on failure to notify 811 and will drive excavators to a survey that will help us generate both national and state-specific data and insights on attacking this critical issue. The committee also discussed strategies and processes for generating cleaner data sets that enable us to establish better baselines.

Regional Partner Update: In a general session, Alabama 811 Executive Director Annette Bowman shared her center’s robust damage prevention program and their extensive efforts to coordinate new member onboarding as membership to the 811 center becomes mandatory.

Technology: The adoption of new technologies will be key to getting the industry to our 50 in 5 goal. The Technology Committee is focused on creating compelling case studies and sharing them with the industry via the Technology Hub and two webinars planned for this autumn and winter.

Next Practices Advisory Committee: The Next Practices Initiative discussed increasing the speed of moving concepts from Next Practices to Best Practices, focusing on key industry priorities:

• GIS mapping: Pursue increased accessibility and use of accurate GIS-based mapping information by identifying and addressing barriers to use, promoting implementation that emphasizes increased accessibility and establishing industry guidelines for distributed GIS for damage prevention.
• Technology and process to improve efficiency: Increase effective use of technology to address variability in demand, improve communication between stakeholders and measure efficiency across the damage prevention process.
• Contracts: Increase consistent adherence to Best Practices through the implementation and enforcement of effective contracts.
• Enforcement mechanisms: Increase consistent adherence to Best Practices through effective and proven enforcement mechanisms.

Damage Prevention Institute Advisory Committee and Metrics Sub-Committee: The DPI Advisory Committee discussed the peer review pilot program, which will begin testing a few models in January 2024. The DPI Metrics Sub-Committee established facility owner/operator metrics which will now be reviewed by the Advisory Committee and shared with participants this autumn.

Events like the Summit, where members across stakeholder groups and industries can collaborate toward mutually beneficial solutions, play a crucial role in driving positive change within the industry. We encourage you to save the date for the 2023 Fall Committee Summit, which will take place Nov. 6-9 in Indianapolis, Ind., at the Indianapolis JW Marriott. The Fall Committee Summit will focus on two vital topics that can have a significant positive impact on damage reduction: achieving on-time and accurate locates and the importance of mapping. Stay tuned for registration information coming soon!

We appreciate your commitment to damage prevention and look forward to seeing how you incorporate the key takeaways from this year's Summer Summit into your organization, fostering positive change and contributing to our shared goal of reducing damages by 50% in 5 years.