The Underground Blog

The CGA Education Committee met in Detroit on September 21 & 22. Downtown Detroit has come a long way since my last trip there. I really enjoyed it.
We were welcomed by Al Yonkman, Director of Operations at DTE Energy.
Mr. Yonkman has served as the CGA Board Director for the electric stakeholder group since the CGA’s […]

This post will wrap up the discussion of the cost of damage and developing effective marking systems.
View your marking system as an investment, not as just an expense. The investment you making in protecting your buried facilities pays back with every accident that is circumvented.
As I mentioned in one of my first posts […]

Once a marking system is in place, it needs to be maintained. This means scheduling maintenance checks and upgrades. This is especially important on EXISTING systems which made need renovation.
What can happen to existing systems?

Markers may become damaged through accidents or vandalism
Markers may rust, and colors fade, decreasing the effectivity of the marking system

When looking […]

When you are designing an effective marking system, you need to spend time designing your actual message.
In an earlier post, I gave an example of a marker post with too many messages on it, making it difficult to read and difficult to determine what number the reader should call.
So, what should you take into consideration […]

The September 2006 Common Ground Alliance is available on the CGA website.
I want to point out the article about the pending California legislation I discussed in my September 18 post.  There is more detail in the newsletter.
There’s also information on a survey conducted by Fleishman Hillard, the agency selected to promote the upcoming 811 campaign, […]

Marking systems for the underground infrastructure are designed to prevent injury to workers and damage to buried facilities. But what about the safety of the marking system itself?
When designing a marking system, one must also consider the safety of the general public.

  Is the marking system tall enough to be seen?
  Take into account where the system […]

When a underground marking system is designed, the most obvious important factor is VISIBILITY. Not only do we need to consider how visible the marking system is for excavation reasons, we also have to consider the safety aspect.
A marker that is too short, or gets lost in overgrown areas can be tripped on, run over […]

In order to prevent damage to underground utilities, we need to ensure our marking systems fulfill some basic requirements:

Highly visible

Permanent

Located along entire route of underground facility

Safety considerations in terms of visibility, rigidity, etc.

Redunancy built into the marking system

When purchasing an underground marking system, organizations should take into account:

Design (visibility)

Installation ease

Maintenance ease

Life of the product

Initial cost

Maintenance […]

What is the cost of damage? Let’s take a look at some examples.  When I am discussing the cost of damage, I will focus on financial cost.  Accidents that incur injuries or deaths are beyond measure.
Just one accident in 1999: A fence contractor drilled 24 holes in a Pacific Bell cable and conduit. The repair […]

In the next few days, I am going to be blogging about the financial cost of underground damage and some pointers about designing better marking systems.
With the increased media attention to the safety of the underground infrastructure, this is a perfect time to discuss the impact of damage and how to prevent it.
Questions or comments […]