It’s 811 Day
This 8/11 is a beautiful Sunday and many homeowners will be using the day to tackle some home improvement projects, such as building a deck, installing a new mailbox or installing a fence. In fact, 74% of homeowners have or will dig on their property on their property this summer. Unfortunately, nearly 40% of these won’t call 811 ahead of time to mark buried utilities.
This 8/11 is a beautiful Sunday and many homeowners will be using the day to tackle some home improvement projects, such as building a deck, installing a new mailbox or installing a fence. In fact, 74% of homeowners have or will dig on their property on their property this summer. Unfortunately, nearly 40% of these won’t call 811 ahead of time to mark buried utilities.[1] Hitting a buried utility could simply mean a few days without internet – or it could mean injury or death, depending on what utility is struck. Every 62 seconds, an underground utility strike occurs in the U.S., leading to more than 2,000 injuries and 400 deaths every year.[2]
It's clear that calling 811 or visiting www.811beforeyoudig.com to schedule a free service to mark the approximate location of buried utilities with flags or paint is worthwhile. Even in your own yard, you really don’t know what’s below, and having utilities marked is free, safe and easy.
What about the professionals?
It’s a good thing that professional excavators always have buried utilities marked, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The Common Ground Alliance says that “Failure to Notify 811” prior to digging is the root cause of 60 percent of damages to underground utilities.[3] This seems like something that is very easy to fix – and very important to fix, since utility strikes have an economic and societal cost of more than $30 billion every year.
Unfortunately, like most persistent problems, it’s not so simple. Construction projects always have tight deadlines and complex schedules, so there’s constant pressure to get things done and not wait for underground utilities to be marked. Plus, some utilities are difficult to locate, such as fiber optic cables or plastic pipes. Fortunately, technology is making a difference in locating and mapping all types of utilities.
Other articles exploring safe digging
Damage Prevention Saves Lives and Money
The PSMSA states that “Advances made in developing technology improve efficiency and accuracy in the facility locating process. However, more work is needed, for example, to include technology to address pipelines currently un-locatable through existing technology. The use of RFID, in combination with GIS, shows promise to address the issue of un-locatable pipe. Other technologies such as ground penetrating radar are in use, and improvements in such technologies will assist in difficult-to-locate circumstances. Similarly, rights-of-way monitoring systems that detect movement on or around pipeline rights-of-way show promise. PHMSA recommends the continued use of and further development of these tools . . .” [4]
Together, RFID and GIS are an excellent tool for long-term marking and management of utilities because the combination provides on-site verification of each marked utility mapped in GIS. Facilities buried underground are subject to any process that moves the ground, from freezing and thawing to flooding and other natural disasters. A scan of the RFID marker in the excavation zone will instantly verify the utility’s location and identity in GIS. If it has moved from the previous location, this is noted and the data is updated.
InfraMarker
Berntsen’s InfraMarker RFID is being used on more and more construction sites to mark and manage buried utilities. With rugged markers specially designed to mark buried utilities and apps designed to work with Esri’s ArcGIS, InfraMarker quickly identifies and verifies any underground asset – an ability that is so important during excavation. Additionally, because RFID markers provide asset verification, utility maintenance is streamlined – field workers can quickly locate and accurately identify any utility (below or above ground), ensuring work is done on the correct asset and documented in GIS.
Until all of the 120 million acres[5] of developed land in the U.S. is accurately mapped using GIS and RFID, the safest process for any excavation is to call 811 to locate buried utilities. It’s the best first step to prevent utility strikes.
Interesting links:
National Pipeline mapping system: https://www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov/FindWhosOperating.aspx
CGA White Paper: Insights into Improving the Delivery of Accurate, On-Time Locates