The Underground Blog

The Common Ground Alliance just announced a new sponsor:
“The National Association of State Fire Marshals has become a Bronze level sponsor - increasing our total number of sponsors to 34.”
It’s great to see the CGA continue to grow.
Click to read their latest newsletter.

The One-Call Systems International (OCSI) is a committee that is part of the Common Ground Alliance. Their mission is to “promote facility damage prevention and infrastructure protection through education, guidance and assistance to one-calls internationally.”
They have posted the minutes from their November 13 meeting in Las Vegas. Click to view.
They will be meeting March 5, […]

The 2007 Excavation Safety Guide is just around the corner. The DEADLINE for orders is DECEMBER 15.
We’re excited about the 2007 edition, it is redesigned with a new format and contains a great collection of articles that provide an overview of the excavation process with a focus on safety and damage prevention issues.  It is […]

The CGA Excavation Safety Conference and Expo takes place in Orlando, FL March 6-8, 2007. We are currently planning over 50 conference sessions covering the whole spectrum of the underground industry.
If you register before December 1, you receive an early-bird discounted registration.
The CGA Excavation Safety Conference and Expo is a great way to network with […]

During my travels, I like to document different markings that I see.
Here are two posts with no visible warning message. There is no warning decal on the large post. Good decals will easily last at least 10 years, however decals that face the sun will always fade more quickly that decals face away from the […]

Here is a fun article. Make sure you scroll down to finish the article and read the comment.
http://wweek.com/editorial/3241/7889/

The pipeline accident that occurred in Wyoming over the weekend is being investigated. Of course, we won’t hear the results of an investigation for a while, but it was another incident putting pipeline safety into the news. The bulldozer operator was killed when he ruptured a pipeline, resulting in a huge explosion.
Articles:
http://www.kgwn.tv/home/headlines/4635341.html
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_4653659
http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2006/11/12/top_story/01local_11-12-06.txt
 

Here’s news from the Common Ground Alliance from Khrysanne Kerr, 811 Campaign manager:
CGA Members (and others interested in damage prevention):

The Common Ground Alliance is pleased to extend an invitation to
upcoming “CGA Stakeholder Summits.” Current members as well as
others interested in underground damage prevention issues are
encouraged to attend these free events. A special focus on the […]

We should be seeing more of these announcements as organizations ready themselves for 8-1-1 dialing.
A colleague, Gary Sloman, has publicly announced the 811 feature for New Mexico One-Call:
http://www.alamogordonews.com/news/ci_4594739
The article has an interesting statistic - there is a national average of 51,785 miles of underground pipelines per state!
New Mexico One-Call has formed a foundation to raise […]

I attended the CGA (Common Ground Alliance) Regional Partners meeting in Arlington, VA this week.
Blaine Keener, the National Coordinator for CATS (Community Assistance and Technical Services Information) provided an update on the pipeline Distribution Integrity Management Program (DIMP) draft plan. In the pipeline industry, there is a lot of talk about the upcoming DIMP requirement […]