Recently, Enhanced Scanning owner Forrest Sim had the opportunity to participate in a roundtable discussion at an event sponsored by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA). The focus of the various roundtable discussions during the event centered on the risk of excavation damage to underground utilities.
Participating in Forrest’s specific roundtable discussion was a fellow private utility locator, as well as a trainer of utility locators, and a general contractor who works on large-scale construction projects. It was a lively, friendly discussion among people who are very familiar with the utility locating industry, and who have a lot to say on the topic.
During their session, the main topic of discussion was the disconnect between those who fund the 8-1-1 program (the utility companies) and those who mainly benefit from it (general contractors). In case you are unfamiliar with the 8-1-1 program, it is a program funded by the public utility companies that will send out a utility locator, for free, to scan for public utility lines on a property prior to a project that involves excavation.
The roundtable participants posited that the utility companies that fund the 8-1-1 program have very little incentive to improve the current system to better serve contractors. The utility companies see the 8-1-1 system as a means of protecting their utility lines from damage. The contractors are not actually their “customers,” so their interests are secondary. Unfortunately, it’s primarily the contractors who suffer when there are issues within the 8-1-1 program.
As it stands now, there is typically a long wait time to get an 8-1-1 locator out to a property, and when they do finally arrive, they often do the bare minimum. They tend to be equipped only with a locating wand and get on and off the property as quickly as possible. This leads to a situation where buried utility lines can be missed, resulting in accidents, and these accidents largely affect contractors. In addition, some contractors are unwilling to wait for a public locator to come out, so they just go ahead with their projects and hope for the best. This also results in accidents.
A few different ideas were floated to help remedy the issues of the current system, such as utilizing private locating companies to help meet the demands of the 8-1-1 system and better training for public locators. But ultimately, it comes down to funding, and the utility companies won’t put more money into the 8-1-1 system unless they have a strong incentive to do so, and right now, there isn’t one.
The current system leaves room for private utility locators like Enhanced Scanning, but only for contractors who know that companies like ours exist and are willing to pay for our services. We can come in and verify the results of the public locators and pick up where they left off. Or, we can do utility locating for contractors who are unable or unwilling to wait for the 8-1-1 service to get to their projects.
As long as there is a need for our services, we will continue to go above and beyond to provide superior utility locating services that keep people safe, prevent damage, and allow contractors to work more efficiently. We will also continue to do our part to improve the utility locating industry as a whole. One way we do that is by participating in important discussions like the ones that took place at the CGA Summit.