CGA recently issued our “50 in 5” industry challenge, which encourages stakeholders to make actionable changes to reduce damages to critical underground utilities by 50% over the next 5 years. The “50 in 5” challenge asks stakeholders to concentrate on three focus areas that address critical issues identified by CGA’s Next Practices Initiative and the top damage root causes that contribute to more than 76% of damages to buried infrastructure as identified DIRT Report. The three areas of focus include effective and consistent use of 811, key excavator practices (potholing, maintaining clearance, etc.) and accurate, timely utility locating.

With National Safe Digging Month (NSDM) right around the corner, now is the perfect time for your organization to take action to help our industry kickstart our new damage reduction goal. Here are a few ways you can support “50 in 5” this April:

• Utilize CGA’s National Safe Digging Month toolkits. CGA’s updated NSDM toolkit provides members with a variety of resources, including new infographics, social media posts, government proclamations, case studies featuring creative initiatives and more. CGA also recently published its new excavator-focused NSDM toolkit, which offers tools to more effectively reach the excavator audience with key messages related to excavator-specific damage prevention practices. We also encourage you to incorporate the brand new national 811 tagline and animation into your NSDM activations and outreach efforts. (Please read and sign the terms of use, you will be redirected to the 811 logo downloads page upon signing.)
• Attend the annual CGA Conference & Expo. The 2023 CGA Conference and Expo is just a few weeks away and will take place April 17-21 at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Fla. The Conference is the damage prevention industry’s premier event, offering attendees the opportunity to advance their knowledge of damage prevention and safety and collaborate with fellow stakeholders to make a meaningful impact on the industry. If you haven’t already, register for the conference at www.cgaconference.com and download the Conference app, “2023 CGA Conference & Expo” to reserve your seat in the educational sessions you'd like to attend, as space is limited.
• Download and review the 2021 DIRT Report and CGA’s Next Practices. The 2021 DIRT Report offers valuable insights based on member-submitted damage data and outlines the ongoing challenges contributing to damages so that we can best address them as an industry. CGA’s Next Practices Report to the Industry builds off the insights from years of DIRT Reports and other industry data, identifying new practices and strategic opportunities for improvement to illuminate a path forward for our industry. Both of these initiatives were great influences on the “50 in 5” challenge and its focus areas, so we recommend your organization familiarize itself with these efforts to understand the current state of the industry and where you can effect change.
• Become an accredited DPI member. The Damage Prevention Institute (DPI) is open to all CGA members and provides participants with a metrics-focused accreditation process that seeks to address systemic inefficiencies in the damage prevention industry through shared accountability. Becoming an accredited DPI member is a great step for your organization to commit to long-term reduction in damages. For more information on the DPI, including the accreditation process, guiding principles and more, visit the DPI’s website.
• Mark your calendar for 2023 committee summits, meetings and webinars. Throughout the year, CGA holds various webinars, meetings, committee summits and other events that give our members insight into relevant trends and CGA programs and initiatives. Attending these events will help you stay informed on important industry topics and become an active participant in damage prevention by sharing your unique perspective on pressing industry issues.

We encourage you to begin checking off the items on this list to position your organization to positively contribute to our “50 in 5” industry goal. Be sure to share your NSDM plans on Engage so that other organizations can see what you have planned to spread the safe digging message and reduce damages this April!