Damage Prevention

This track will explore best practices in reducing excavation damage to underground utility infrastructure utilizing risk analytic software and strategies that create an effective state damage prevention program. It will also look at how to foster good relationships between utilities and excavators and bridge communication gaps to reduce damages.

This track is sponsored by:

Meet the Damage Prevention Program Development Team. Learn more about the Operations Conference.

All session times are listed in Pacific time.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

12:45 PM – 2:00 PM
Identifying High-Risk Tickets
Speakers: Ryan Dove, Program Manager, Damage Prevention Strategies, Southern California Gas Company
Michael Kaminski, Administrator/Damage Prevention, Southwest Gas Corporation
Southwest Gas and Southern California Gas present how they each implemented 811 ticket risk scoring technology differently to quickly identify high risk excavation sites.  Learn the differences between Southwest Gas’s deployment of a vendor provided ticket risk scoring solution vs. SoCalGas’s in-house developed solution and how both companies are leveraging the risk scoring technologies to reduce excavation damages.

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

10:00 AM – 11:45 AM
Unsafe Digging Practices
Panelists: Jason DeLong, Owner, Rock Solid Piles
Jason Corsey, Chief of Investigations, California Underground Facilities Safe Excavation Board
Paul Schmidt, Safety and Health Director, Canby Excavating
This session will provide a deep dive into unsafe digging practices from a panel of various viewpoints within the excavation process. Our panelists include; Third-Party excavation companies, and a state enforcement Chief Investigator. Please join us for a collaboration across subsurface lines, and an increased understanding from an informative discussion. We will conclude with an audience-guided question and answer session.

1:15 PM – 2:30 PM
Managing Ticket Volume + Contracted Locator Personnel Retention
Speakers: Bryan Rich, VP Operations, ELM Utility Services
Alan Volbrecht, Idaho State Director, ELM Utility Services
Shane Ayers, Director of Compliance, Stake Center Locating
Sean Murphy, Sr. Director of Technical Operations, Stake Center Locating
Recently in the western United States, we have experienced a dramatic increase of construction activity. With this increase, several companies have experienced issues with managing the high volume of locate tickets. We will have an in-depth discussion with ELM and Stake Center Locating about how they have adapted in order to keep up with the rush.

Thursday, April 21, 2022

9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
State Enforcement + Frequent Offenders
Speakers: David Mulligan, Community Liaison, PHMSA – Office of Pipeline Safety
Terry Harpt, Public Awareness and Damage Prevention Coordinator, Intermountain Gas Company
Learn techniques and mechanisms for being proactive versus reactive around excavation practices.  You will learn what it means to be a frequent offender and how the PHMSA/State boards responds to utility damages, educates and enforces excavation laws. You will hear how utility companies can mitigate frequent or dangerous offenders.