The Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report from the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) is the definitive word on excavation damage to underground facilities. Stakeholders and policymakers alike go to this resource to understand the level of damage, estimate the costs imposed on society, and peer inside the root causes in…
The damage prevention process is tried and true. Notifying a One-Call center through 811 has worked for over a decade, and for at least 30 years prior, other phone numbers and communication methods did the trick. With so firm a foundation and such an established system, how can innovation and…
I have studied damage prevention for several years. From reading reports and best practice guides to ride alongs with locators and even calling in an 811 locate request, I felt like I had a good understanding. But it was this summer when I made an online homeowner locate request that…
Up to this point, we have explored a range of benefits that accrue from the use of technology in the damage prevention process. Not only is technology vital to avoiding damage, but it makes the process more efficient, reduces environmental hazards, enables cost savings, and more. One final benefit emerges…
If you have been following the Aii educational series Modern Roots March this month, you’ll know that we want to get you thinking about underground utilities like you think about the roots of plants and trees. The reason is simple: if you start to recognize that modern life is supported…
This blog series Technology Highlight explores some of the ways that investments in innovation lead to better outcomes for infrastructure and public safety. When technology advances, it often becomes cheaper, more widely available and accessible, and helps facilitate faster, safer, and greener projects. Aii has looked…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has changed the way companies update, monitor, and build infrastructure. In the damage prevention sector, innovations like 24-hour monitoring systems, gas leak detection technology, and improvements in safety gear have also made worksites and infrastructure projects safer. Often overlooked in the damage prevention field…
The ground we walk on is covered with asphalt for roads, concrete for sidewalks, and is naturally decorated with grass, flowers, shrubs, and trees. Intermingled within are telephone polls, electricity wires, buildings, and other structures requiring power. We all understand that natural organisms have roots that ground them…
generally comes in three key stages. Each stage has its merit, but opposition to natural gas pipelines in many instances leads to negative consequences. To separate fact from fiction and dive deeper into the issue, this policy blog explores some of the broader considerations for natural gas pipelines and…
Excavation Damage Every person is required to call 811 or notify their safe digging One-Call center before breaking ground. That is for backyard projects, tree planting, home construction, or professional-level excavation. Failing to do this threatens to expose or damage a pipeline, electrical line, telephone or Internet cable, water main,…
Washington D.C, – October 14, 2020 – The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) today released a new report for state legislatures, regulatory bodies, and damage prevention professionals: 2020 Damage Prevention Report Card. This comprehensive analysis of every state’s damage prevention laws and regulations tracks progress over time in key…
Washington D.C, District of Columbia – August 27, 2020 – The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) today released a new report for industry leaders and public officials entitled ‘811: One-Call Before You Dig | The Development and Future of Damage Prevention Efforts’ reviewing the history of One-Call centers and raising…
Beneath Our Feet Underground infrastructure in America run for millions of miles. These make possible the basics of modern American life, carrying water, energy resources, electricity, cable, Internet, and phone service. Often we see utilities over our heads, like electrical lines, or even along the sidewalk, like pad-mounted transformer boxes….
In March of 2005, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 811 as the nationwide phone number for excavation damage prevention. Now, 15 years later, we have seen damages decline as everyone from homeowners to construction crews call before they dig. The federal designation unified the nation’s programs into one simple,…
Underneath the feet of every American are millions of miles of buried cables, electrical lines, pipelines, water systems, and more. This vast network of underground utilities is coursing with the information, power, and resources we rely on every day. But because it is buried under our yards, sidewalks, gardens, parking…
