Page 14 - Tennessee 811 Magazine 2021 Issue 3

We rolled out a new type of ticket on July 1st called
a “Damage Notice”. A Damage Notice is not
a locate request, so it doesn’t prompt utilities to mark their lines or respond through Positive Response. What it does is collect information from a caller about an excavation damage so that
the information can be used as data to target and evaluate damage prevention efforts across the state. It has the added benefit of notifying member utilities
of the damage, which will almost always include the utility operator that experienced the damage. Excavators are also required to contact the utility directly in case they’re not a member
of the one-call or in case their system for receiving tickets is different from the system that needs to be triggered to initiate a repair response.
We’re excited about the new damage notice because it helps close a feedback loop. Tennessee 811 is already notified before digging work begins and we already collect a lot of great information on what type of work is going on and where it’s occurring. What we don’t have good data for is how often the 811 process fails to protect a line because
a locate request was not submitted, reasonable care wasn’t used when working close to a line, or a line wasn’t located properly. If you’ve heard of the Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT), you may be wondering why it’s not able to provide that kind of data. The short answer is that it’s a great tool when it’s used, but less than a quarter of utilities in the state are registered to use the system, so in theory we could be collecting information on as little
as a quarter of the damages that are occurring.
So, how’s it work? When an excavator damages an underground line, they’re required to call 811 to report a damage notice (we’re working on online entry
of damage notices and will roll that
out as soon as possible). We collect information from the caller about the site, the nature of the damage, and
the root cause of the incident. Then
we send that information as a damage notice to member utilities, but it doesn’t stop there. We take the anonymous data (no company identifiers) and feed that data into DIRT to supplement
Closing the Loop
By Craig Ingram
Public Awareness Manager Tennessee811
• Was the facility owner a member of the one-call service?
• Type of excavator company. Contractor, county official, developer, etc. Note that the company or agency name is not specified in the data submitted to DIRT.
• Type of excavation equipment – Auger, backhoe, bulldozer, etc.
• Type of work performed. Agriculture, building construction, building demolition, irrigation, etc.
• Was the one-call center notified? If yes, we can list the ticket number when known.
• Did the damage cause an interruption of service?
• What was the root cause of the damage? Root causes are divided into four categories including notification issues, excavation issues, locating issues, or miscellaneous.
In the next issue of this magazine, we’ll have a taste of this damage data for you to better visualize the scale and cause of damages in our state. We’ll adjust our training efforts based on audiences or types of work that cause the most damage. We’ll target our advertising based on geographical data about where damages are most prevalent. We’ll evaluate our own processes to identify pain points that may hurt the effectiveness of the 811 process. We also hope that you’ll consider how you and your organization can benefit from this data. It could prompt you to reach out for additional training, modify standard operating procedures, or just put more emphasis on communication.
Thanks in advance for calling in damage notices. This is a small change in the grand scheme of things, but data like this is critical to our success and the success of damage prevention efforts across the state.
the damages that are reported there directly. Even better, if a utility calls
us to report a damage that they experienced, we fulfill their legal requirement to report that incident to DIRT. That means one less platform to forget how to use or lose your logins for!
We’re excited about the new damage notice because it helps close a feedback loop.
Here’s what will be reported to DIRT:
• Date of event – when did the damage occur?
• Right-of-way where the event occurred – was it private property, a dedicated utility easement, or some other type of location?
• What type of facility operation was affected? Cable television, electric, liquid pipeline, etc.
• What type of facility was affected? Distribution, gathering, service/drop, etc.
12 • Tennessee811 2021, Issue 3