Page 3 - Tennessee 811 Magazine 2019 Issue 4

from the desk of
Willial II “Bill” IUFHGI’
has a year we've hadl Tlckct volume eoniinues lo increase, and
membership eonlinues or grow. A~ we arlapl to ensure we'm
meeling Lhe needs of our member ulilines and partners in

damage prevcntlon, our abiliry to use leelinology to eolleci and evaluale

dala allows us lo provirle the Iurure vision llial Lhey Expect.

when we amenrled Lhl: undergrounrl Uliliry Damage I-reveniiori Act (TCA

55-31-101 et al) in 2015, it inelurled a eouple of imporlanl ehanges lliar

were necessary to eonlinue improving our rlamage prcventlon program in

Tennessee;

1. The cmatlon of lhe Underground Ullllty Damage Prevenrion

Enforcement laoard (wrillen abour in previous issues of lhis magazine)

2. Mandalory damage reporiing Ihmugh the Damage Ininzmztlon

Reporling Tool (DIRT)
Hopefully this magazine and our other ourreaeh erforls have helped explain the impunant role the
Enforcement board plays in reducing damages In underground uiililies, but you may wonder how the
eolleelion of damage dala lhrough DIRT helps willi rlamage preveiilion in Tennessee. The shorl answer is
ihalTeiinesseesl1 uses DIRT dara lo delerimne wliar key raeiors lead to damage to underground raeiliries
in Tennessee. we've reeenlly eompiled available dala Irom DIRT as well as dala eolleeled ihrougli Lhe
enroreemenl program to begin Idcnlifymg:
- Types of work that have a lngher prolialiiliry of eausing damage
- ceograpliie areas of ihe sraie where a damage is more likely to oeeur
- The role that while-lining or premarking plays in prevenling rlamage
Dnee ihese and oiher key iaeiors are revealed, Tennesseeall is able lo lieller Ioeus our Liaison aeriviiies,
promorions, sarery programs, maxketlng and adverlising efforts. This daia has the aliiliiy to empower
Tennesseeall to make evidence-based deeisions and eliminaie our neerl lo view llie Iurure Lhmugh a
erysial liall Learn more anrl regisier your eompany online ai Ivww ega-dimum/mall.
In Tennessee we use a version of DIRT that allows us to eolleel and review Infunmlllun spctlfic to our
slale and ils urilily owners anrl operarors when you regisler Ior DIRT, you have eonlrol over who has
aeeess to your dala and whr1lLheyc2m see. Through a rlara grant, you ean allow your anonyimzed dara
to be refleeled in our queries and reporls wlthout giving up the raw Inloxmatlon or even revealing wliai
company this damage reporl eaine from. If you need as~I~'t2mcr: geiring sel up in DIRT or granting us aeeess
Io assisi ivirh largeiing our rlamage prevenlion eicorls, our liaison ieain is available In assisl.
visil lm(lflY.(rJmYl1Dl1 gwwIdl1lllIm(e.to:n lo review ihe 2018 (Naiional) DIRT Repon
Thank you for making Tennessee a safer place and remember to call 811 Eefnm You Dig
Respeeihilly,
william "Bill” Turner
vresidem
renneeeeiul

Missinn sraremenl
Ta Pruvldc the
sear Cflltlmurlirflflnrl, Ediieahaa and l\'D;‘IfIC/ztiutl semre
In Futillmfr Dmtmgc Pmzletlhwl Iu llrlderglullnd uhlihrs
2019, Issue 4 Tennessee 811 . i