Page 7 - Tennessee 811 Magazine 2020 Issue 4

contact on the ticket comes in. If a locator can make a call and get a better understanding of what is needing to be marked it can prevent delays in getting the job marked.
Large locate requests and ongoing “project” type tickets require excellent communication and working together between the utility locator and the excavator. These types of tickets seem to be the ones that cause the most heartache between the two parties. The excavator wants the whole project marked so they are able to move freely around as needed, and the locator wants to work with the contractor and mark the specific areas where they
are currently working. To understand both sides, we need to step back and look at the bigger picture. A locator may have 15-40 or more locate requests that need to be completed in a given day. Tennessee law requires that locate requests be completed in three working days (72 business hours), so when a locator has, for example, a four-mile installation project and the contractor “needs” the whole project marked, what happens to the other locate requests that are waiting to be completed? Now on the other side of the fence, as an excavator, do you have the equipment and manpower to be working on the entire stretch of that four-mile project at the same time? Would it benefit you more to have a locator come out daily and mark the stretch of project you
are currently working on so that you have fresh marks as you work through your project? Working together with the locator in these instances is best for all parties. In order to have fresh locate marks while you are performing your work and to ensure you don’t encounter delays during your project, we need to be sure we are in constant communication and can put trust in what each party is doing.
As a locator, if you say you will come by the project each day to mark a specific area or distance, be sure that you follow through and get that completed each day for the excavator. As the excavator, if you agreed to have the locator come by and mark a specific area or distance each day, are you going to honor that and not move equipment to an area of the project that has not been marked without first contacting the locator because you have a valid ticket for the entire area? Working together with
the excavator, the locator and even the utilities can greatly reduce the
chances of causing damage to existing underground facilities. It can be as simple as communication and trust. We all know that it is not always that easy, but if we make an effort to build those relationships in the excavating community, we may find that this whole time we just needed a little more willingness to work together.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Mike Smith, a lead tech with Heath Consultants, to discuss the importance of working together and to get some insight from contract locators. Mike has been with Heath Consultants for three years and has served as a lead tech in the Murfreesboro area for two of those years. Mike is described by his boss, Jeff Smith, as someone he can count on to take care of business. He
Every day you are up against the clock trying to complete tickets before they are due so contractors can complete their work. And unfortunately for the locators, that clock never stops.
In talking about working together
with Atmos, Mike says, “Having a good relationship is important to reduce damages. Working together on trouble locates to get lines that are unlocatable to be located is key.” Trouble locates would be lines that either have no tracer wire installed at all or lines
that have been in the ground a very long time and the tracer wire that was installed years ago has been broken
or corroded causing the line to be unlocatable. Mike also says Atmos can be a valuable resource to his guys when it comes to figuring out where specific access points are on certain lines, having the ability to have history or service cards pulled on difficult locates.
When it comes to working with contractors, I asked Mike specifically how he handled large projects. Mike said he found it most beneficial to call the contractor at the beginning of the week to find out what work they
are going to be completing for that week and working out a schedule
to complete those locates for them.
As mentioned earlier, Mike feels
the biggest area of improvement in communication and working together with contractors is on the large ongoing projects. He says, “Having
a relationship with the contractors can be very beneficial in working together.”
If we can take anything away from this article as an excavating community,
I would hope that we can see the importance of working together
and understanding what each entity involved is up against on a job and continue to build those relationships and make each job safer for everyone involved.
Thank you, Mike, for taking the time to share your insight on the importance of working together. And, as always, thank you to all the locators out there that day in and day out continue to be the first line of defense in protecting underground infrastructure from damage.
If you know a locator who deserves some time in the spotlight, shoot Jason an email at jkouba@tennessee811.com
To understand both sides, we need to step back and look at the bigger picture. A locator may have 15-40 or more locate requests that need to be completed in a given day.
is impressed with how he takes pride in his work and always tries to do the right thing, no matter the situation. I asked Jeff what makes Mike successful in his position and he said that Mike works well with all of his guys, has a good relationship with Atmos (who they locate for), and works well with contractors.
I asked Mike how his team at Heath Consultants worked together to ensure all the locates coming in were being completed accurately and on time. He said his team specifically “has great teamwork. Everybody works together to get the work done, whether that means someone was out sick and the team has to step up and cover additional areas or there are large projects going on that they work together on to complete.”
In the locating world, having great teamwork is very important in ensuring all your work is completed each day.
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