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jack b
Gone Fishing
Premium,MVM
join:2000-09-08
Cape Cod
clubs:
 ·Comcast
| Dial 811
If everyone took advantage of the nationwide One-Call mark-out system, 811, and waited until underground facility locations were properly identified before digging, a lot of these "accidents" would be avoided. Even harry-the-homeowner putting in fence posts should call.
The costs for repairing any damages are the responsibility of whoever did the deed, and can be significant.
Not only is there the property damage and service interruption angle, let's not forget the possibility of injury, or someone losing their life. Coming into contact with a buried high-voltage electric cable, or rupturing a gas line, can cause a blast that can definitely leave a mark....
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ltship
join:2002-08-11
Sturgeon Bay, WI
| Unfortunately.. even if the cables are marked, "some" contractors have disregarded them and plow right through them. As a former supervisor for a utility locating company I would watch some of these companies abuse the system, because they were on a time table to get the job done and out. I had a locator just finish spending over an hour marking a 1200 pr buried phone line (high profile) painting and flagging it, and as he left I stopped in to check his work (we had to back check a % of HP locates) and I watched a contractor's operator just bulldoze over his and other utility markings.. and kept on going. Next came in the HiHo to start the pipe crossing.. all of this right in front of me in a marked truck! I did my job.. advised the operator and his boss of the law, and I got the usual "so what" attitude. They called in a "2 hr relocate" stating the marks were gone. Wonder why..
I also have on video tape of a contractor not wanting to hand dig to determine depth of a marked fiber cable run to a Central Office, so he had one of his crew get out their locating equipment, hook into the phone cabinet, and call out depths to the hiho operator scooping out the ground. Once they saw I was there, the supervisor came up to me and asked.. "what was my problem!".. They stopped and went back to hand digging.. but they left the telco cabinet all riped apart when done (it's illegal to be in a cabinet or ped unless you work or are contracted to the utility company)
What happens above is not unusual.. but mostly to telco facilities. When it came to Gas / Electricity, they would take more time to find and protect them (remember, those 2 utilities kill, telco does not) Allot of contractors put big $$$ in their budgets for damages to phone utilities.. why?? because it is more cost effective to them to damage and move on than to find and protect it. You can tell which contractors are the offenders, their damage hits are a very long list. Others, do it right the first time, hand dig or use the vac truck to find the depth of the cable, and is it where it's supposed to be!
811 is a great idea for the homeowners and contractors.. esp the homeowners. Contractors, they know the rules, they attend the annual meetings on prevention, and yet still keep doing "business as usual". Some have changed their names because of bad practices just to keep in business. State Laws need more teeth to prevent these damages, and they are working towards it. Just takes time. Meanwhile the dependency on fiber cables continues to grow.. I know of 1 intersection where at last count 9 fiber cables intersect it.. and all not buried together.. talk about nightmare..
ok.. off my soapbox..  Locating is tough.. protecting it is even harder.. | |
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