Stakeholders
Damage prevention is a shared responsibility. Stakeholders are mutually dependent
upon the successful execution of one another’s roles in the overall process.
The basic premise of a good and effective Damage Prevention Process is that all
operators of buried utilities are registered with the one-call centre and that it
is always best to “Call or Click Before You Dig”. The exchange of accurate
and timely information during the process, together with a genuine interest by all
stakeholders in a successful outcome is critical.
Each stakeholder group in the damage prevention process has roles and responsibilities
which, when recognized, accepted and fulfilled, will enhance the process and have
a positive impact on worker safety, public safety, protection of the environment
and preservation of the integrity of buried infrastructure.
One-Call Centres
The primary function of the one-call centre includes communication, education and
advocacy. It should:
- Provide a dependable, cost-effective communication service between those who intend
to disturb the ground and the operators of buried utilities potentially affected
by a proposed ground disturbance.
- Develop, implement and maintain operating procedures that incorporate best practices,
accommodate specific jurisdictional requirements and balance the needs, wants and
desires of the stakeholder groups.
- Function as the interface between the digging community and the operators of buried
utilities.
- Promote the identification, validation and adoption of damage prevention best practices.
- Facilitate the evolution and improvement of the damage prevention process.
- Undertake educational, public awareness and damage prevention programs.
- Foster cooperation and collaboration among all stakeholders in the damage prevention
process.
- Develop and manage a province-wide database of damage incident statistics.
- Support and participate in damage prevention organizations and initiatives.
Regulatory Agencies
Regulatory agencies have the authority, responsibility and obligation to enforce
regulations and ensure compliance. With respect to the damage prevention process,
the regulatory agencies should:
- Recognize, accept and promote to the other stakeholders that the prevention of damage
to buried utilities will have a positive impact on worker safety, public safety,
protection of the environment and preservation of the integrity of society’s
essential buried infrastructure.
- Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements through active education and enforcement
programs.
- Cooperate and collaborate with the other stakeholder groups to develop regulatory
requirements that are fair, reasonable, based on best practices, compatible with
industry best practices and acceptable to all the stakeholder groups.
- Support and participate in damage prevention organizations and initiatives.
Utility Operators
The operators of buried utilities have an obligation to provide sufficient information
to anyone undertaking a ground disturbance to allow the ground disturber to complete
his or her work safely and in compliance with governing regulations.
The operators of buried utilities should:
- Install utilities in accordance with best practices and governing regulations.
- Ensure their buried utilities are locatable.
- Maintain spatially accurate and up-to-date as-built records of both live and abandoned
utilities.
- Correct records when errors are found.
- Generate a respect for the integrity of their utilities on the part of the digging
community by being active participants in the damage prevention process.
- Make the prevention of future damage to their buried utilities a criterion in their:
- design process,
- installation process,
- records management process,
- claims process and
- purchases of construction and locating services.
- Adopt best practices related to damage prevention.
- Develop an awareness of and respect for the digging community’s concerns and
the constraints under which the digging community does business.
- Respond to locate requests in a timely manner.
- Ensure locators are competent.
- Ensure locates are documented.
- Audit the performance of contract locators, if used, and employee locators.
- Conduct root cause analyses on all damage incidents.
- Submit damage incident reports to the province-wide database.
- Be proactive in Damage Prevention Process educational activities.
- Register with the one-call centre.
- Cooperate with the other stakeholders in the Damage Prevention Process and support
and participate in damage prevention organizations and initiatives.
Locators
By the nature of their role in the damage prevention process, locators can have
a significant influence on the success of a ground disturbance. The key elements
of a “good” locate are:
- Adequate training.
- Suitable equipment.
- Adequate records.
- Adequate time.
If any one or more of these elements is missing, the quality of the locate will
suffer. Locators have an obligation to provide sufficient information to anyone
undertaking a ground disturbance to allow the ground disturber to complete his or
her work safely and in compliance with the governing regulations.
Locators should:
- Understand the nature, purpose and scope of a proposed ground disturbance.
- Identify and mark the locations of all utilities, potentially in conflict with a
proposed ground disturbance, in accordance with governing regulations, industry
practice and best practices.
- Mark the locations of buried utilities adequately to show the horizontal alignment.
- Advise the ground disturber of any special conditions, concerns or requirements.
- Provide documentation of the locates performed to the ground disturber.
- Ensure locate documentation is adequate to allow the re-establishment of the locate marks.
- Ensure that the ground disturber understands the locates, their limitations and
the documentation.
- Perform locates safely.
- Report any record errors found to the operator of the buried utility.
- Recognize and accept that they have three sets of customers to satisfy:
- the operators of the buried utilities,
- the digging community and
- the one-call centre.
- Support and participate in damage prevention organizations and initiatives.
CGA Regional Partners
- Canadian Common Ground Alliance
- Alberta www.albertacga.ca
- British Columbia www.commongroundbc.ca
- Manitoba www.manitobacga.com
- Ontario www.orcga.com/home.asp
- Quebec www.apisq-qcga.ca/en/
- Saskatchewan – www.scga.ca
- United States Common Ground Alliance - www.commongroundalliance.com
Digging Community
The digging community comprises anyone who engages in, or is responsible for, a
ground disturbance including, but not limited to:
- Homeowners
- Farmers
- Equipment operators
- Excavation contractors
- Home builders
- Landscapers
- Land surveyors
- Developers
- Municipalities
The ultimate decision whether or not a backhoe’s bucket teeth penetrate the
ground, rests with the operator of the backhoe. If the operator is not aware of
what buried utilities are in the area of the ground disturbance, and exactly where
they are, before disturbing the ground, there is a great risk of damage to buried
utilities and dangerous consequences to people.