Page 9 - Tennessee 811 Magazine 2022 Issue 1

Emergency tickets must be responded to within two hours and impending emergencies need to be completed by the date and time requested by the excavator. In either case, these tickets are required to be marked in less than the three business days required of normal notice tickets. An immediate emergency is defined as a danger to life, health, or property, to include restoration of service. These tickets require utilities to respond within
two hours. By calling in an immediate emergency, you are stating the ticket meets the definition of an emergency and that your crew is either on site or enroute to the site to make repairs. An impending emergency is a situation where there is not an immediate
danger to life, health, or property, but
if the repair is not made soon, the situation could become an immediate emergency. So as an excavator, if you are calling in emergency tickets, be sure that it meets the definition, and it is
not just a situation that you forgot to call in a ticket and need to get the job done. Calling in false emergencies is
a violation of state law, and you can be found in violation by the enforcement board and be subject to civil penalties up to $10,000 per incident.
So, what does all this mean? As
we have discussed before, damage prevention is something that everyone plays a role in. From the contractor calling in the ticket, to the call center notifying the utilities, to the locators marking on time and accurately, and back to the contractor excavating
safely and respecting the marks. Each stakeholder should consider their responsibilities under the law and how their actions affect the rest of the “team” in preventing damages during my excavation. In the big picture of damage prevention, we are just that, a team. Everybody has a role, and the actions of everyone on that team can influence the overall success of preventing damages to existing underground facilities.
Congratulations and a big “Thank You” to those responsible for crossing the one million locate request mark in 2021. Although it is often unnoticed, your hard work and dedication to preventing damages in Tennessee are greatly appreciated.
If you want to recognize a utility locator for outstanding performance, email jkouba@tennessee811.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our online ticket portal is currently the home of Remote Ticket Entry and the Positive Response System. During the first quarter of 2022, we are consolidating e-ticket into the same online portal and we’re adding a new type of e-ticket specifically for homeowners or residents.
Read on to learn more about everything you can do in our ticket portal online.
E-ticket for homeowners
• Designed for homeowners who don’t submit locate requests on a routine basis.
• No login or account is needed.
• Simple “wizard” style of ticket entry.
• Tickets are reviewed by our contact center before they are processed.
E-ticket for professionals
• Designed for contractors and utilities.
• Users register for an account.
• Enter up to 30 tickets (per company) per day.
• Tickets are reviewed by our contact center before they are processed.
Remote Ticket Entry (RTE)
• Designed for contractors and utilities that enter a large volume of tickets.
• Users must sign a disclaimer.
• Enter new tickets or update existing tickets.
• Training is required for entry of new tickets, not required for updates.
• Tickets are entered live, meaning they are not reviewed by our staff before they are saved and sent through to member utilities.
• A percentage of tickets are checked by contact center staff after they are saved for quality control purposes.
Find Tickets (Ticket Search)
• Does not require a login or account.
• Anyone can view, print, or export tickets.
• View utility responses to a locate request that you called in or entered online.
• Can also be accessed through our smartphone app.
Positive Response
• Only for member utilities.
• Logins are provided when a utility becomes a member of TN811.
• View and respond to locate requests in your service area.
The direct URL for the ticket portal is https://gcv3.tn811.com/geocall/portal. You can also get there through our main website at www.tn811.com.
By Kathy Quartermaine, Public Awareness Coordinator Tennessee811
2022, Issue 1 Tennessee811 • 7
ONLINE TICKET ENTRY