Gold Shovel Standard (GSS) 2019

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Global Underground

• Presents

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Dig-In Prevention Training
Utility Damage Prevention Avoidance
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2019
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Gold Shovel Standard
Gold Shovel Standard (GSS) is a nonprofit
organization committed to improving workforce and
public safety and the integrity of buried
infrastructure. GSS believes that greater
transparency in all aspects of damage prevention
among buried-asset operators, locators and
excavators is essential to drive continuous
improvement, and vital to increasingly safe
working conditions and communities.
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Goals of the Organization

• 50 reduction over 2015 levels in the frequency
  of damages in North America on professional
  excavation sites by the end of 2025
• More than half of North American municipalities
  rely on GSS metrics when hiring, establishing or
  renewing franchise rights and offering permits by
  the end of 2025
• More than 100 Gold Shovel Standard Communities
  have been established throughout North America by
  the end of 2025
• More than 75 of insurance companies consider
  GSS supported metrics on policies for excavators
  or locators by the end of 2025

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References

• OSHA 29 CFR 1926.651(b) Underground installations
• PHMSA 49 CFR 196 Protection of Underground
  Pipelines from Excavation Activity
• CRS Title 9 Safety- Industrial and Commercial
  Excavation Requirements
• Colorado SB184 9-1.5-102
• Colorado SB 18-167
• Colorado 811
• Common Ground Alliance (CGA) Best Practices Guide
  March, 2019
• Gold Shovel Standard (GSS)

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Striking Utilities Is Dangerous Costly
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Laws and Regulations

• Colorado One-Call Law 811
• Title 9 Safety- Industrial and Commercial
• Article 1.5 C.R.S. Excavation Requirements
• UNCC (Utility Notification Center of Colorado)
• Colorado SB184 9-1.5-102
• Colorado SB 18-167
• OSHA 29 CFR 1926.651(b) Underground installations
• PHMSA 49 CFR 196 Protection of Underground
  Pipelines from Excavation Activity

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Laws and Regulations

• Colorado SB 18-167
• Current law requires a person, before conducting
  an excavation, to contact a nonprofit
  notification association (comprised of all owners
  and operators of underground facilities) by
  dialing "811" to learn the location of
  underground facilities in the excavation project
  area. The owners and operators must then
  accurately mark the location of their facilities.
  
• Violations of the excavation damage prevention
  law are enforced exclusively through civil
  actions initiated by damaged parties to collect
  specified civil penalties and damages.

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Laws and Regulations

• Colorado SB 18-167
• Excavators (Thats Us)
• The bill requires excavators to keep all
  underground facility location documents on the
  job site. Excavators are also required to notify
  the owner or operator of the underground facility
  and call 911 for any incident involving natural
  gas, other gas, or hazardous liquid.

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Laws and Regulations

• Colorado SB 18-167
• The bill creates the
• Underground Damage Prevention Safety Commission
• The commission has rule-making and enforcement
  authority regarding the excavation damage
  prevention law.
• A review committee of the commission initially
  determines whether a violation of the law has
  occurred and, if appropriate, recommends remedial
  action, potentially including a fine.

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Laws and Regulations

• Colorado SB 18-167
• Enforcement Underground Damage Prevention Safety
  Commission
• 15 member commission appointed by the governor
• Creates Best Practices and Training to prevent
  damage
• Adheres to Marking and Documentation standards
• Reviews complaints related to the law
• Orders remedial actions or penalties
• Fines range from 250 for a single minor
  violation within the previous 12 months to
  75,000 for a fourth major violation within the
  previous 12 months.

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Laws and Regulations

• OSHA 29 CFR 1926.651(b) Underground
  Installations
• The estimated location of utility installations,
  such as sewer, telephone, fuel, electric, water
  lines, or any other underground installations
  that reasonably may be expected to be encountered
  during excavation work, shall be determined prior
  to opening an excavation.
• Utility companies or owners shall be contacted
  within established or customary local response
  times, advised of the proposed work, and asked to
  establish the location of the utility underground
  installations prior to the start of actual
  excavation. When utility companies or owners
  cannot respond to a request to locate underground
  utility installations within 24 hours (unless a
  longer period is required by state or local law),
  or cannot establish the exact location of these
  installations, the employer may proceed, provided
  the employer does so with caution, and provided
  detection equipment or other acceptable means to
  locate utility installations are used.
• When excavation operations approach the estimated
  location of underground installations, the exact
  location of the installations shall be determined
  by safe and acceptable means.
• While the excavation is open, underground
  installations shall be protected, supported or
  removed as necessary to safeguard employees.

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Laws and Regulations

• PHMSA 49 CFR 196 Protection of Underground
  Pipelines from Excavation Activity
• Prescribes the minimum requirements that
  excavators must follow to protect pipelines
  subject to PHMSA or State pipeline safety
  regulations from excavation-related damage.
• Requirements for what an excavator must do if a
  pipeline is damaged by excavation activity.
• Procedures if a pipeline operator fails to
  respond to a locate request or fails to
  accurately locate and mark its pipeline.
• Administrative process that PHMSA will use to
  conduct enforcement proceedings for alleged
  violations.
• Penalties, citations, fines, and criminal
  charges.

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Enforcement, Fines and Penalties

• Under certain circumstances the facility owner
  can pursue an award of civil penalties against an
  excavator who fails to operate in accordance with
  the statute. These situations include
• Failing to call Colorado 811 and request a
  locate ticket
• Excavating outside the original reported dig
  area
• Excavating prior to the ticket locate date
• Excavating on another excavator's requested
  locates
• Excavating more than 30 days after the locate
  date
• The civil penalties can be significant, including
  court costs and reasonable attorney fees.

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Enforcement, Fines and Penalties
Fine Structure Under SB 18-167 Fine Structure Under SB 18-167 Fine Structure Under SB 18-167 Fine Structure Under SB 18-167 Fine Structure Under SB 18-167
per number of violations in a 12-month period per number of violations in a 12-month period per number of violations in a 12-month period per number of violations in a 12-month period per number of violations in a 12-month period
  One Violation Two Violations Three Violations Four Violations
Minor 250.00 500.00 1,000.00 5,000.00
Moderate 1,000.00 2,500.00 5,000.00 25,000.00
Major 5,000.00 25,000.00 50,000.00 75,000.00
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Enforcement, Fines and Penalties
OSHA Penalties OSHA Penalties
Type of Violation Maximum Penalty
Other than Serious Violations Up to 12,471 per violation
Serious Violation Up to 12,471 per violation
Failure to Abate Up to 12,471 per violation per day beyond the Abatement date
Willful Violation Up to 124,709 per violation
Repeat Violation Up to 124,709 per violation
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The 811 Process
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Overview

• Delineate your excavation
• Call 811 to get your ticket
• Wait the required time
• Confirm utilities positive response
• Requirements once excavation begins
• Managing your ticket

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Delineate Your Excavation

• With white paint, stakes, flags, other suitable
  material
• Limit the site to manageable sizes
• Take a physical inventory of subsurface
  facilities such as meters, vaults, manhole
  covers, utility risers, cuts in pavement, etc.

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Delineate Your Excavation
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Calling / Contacting 811
Call 811 before you plan to dig, regardless of
the depth or familiarity with the property.
Determine your dig area so that you can be
specific when calling for your locate
request. Colorado 811 will notify all Tier I
companies (ex Springs Utilities, phone, cable,
etc.) who may have underground lines in your
area. If there are Tier II members who own lines
in your area (ex utility lines that were
privately installed), they will give the caller
the phone number for Tier II members that the
excavator will need to notify.
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Calling / Contacting 811
Project Managers or Foreman are to call or send
in their locate requests to their Project
Coordinator, who will then access the Colorado
811 website and request their locates.
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Wait the Required Time

• Within 3 business days including the day you call
  in, locate crews will mark utility lines on the
  property.
• Other locators may respond to mark phone and
  cable, and there may be private utility lines on
  the property.
• If there is no response within the 3 business day
  window, you are to contact your Project
  Coordinator who will continue to make follow-up
  calls to 811. Digging will NOT be permitted and
  we will only proceed when we know that all
  utilities have been clearly marked or a Locate
  Ticket has been provided

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The property or jobsite MUST be accessible

• The property must be accessible, including having
  gates unlocked.
• If there is a problem with access, a scheduled
  meeting may be required.
• When you call Colorado 811, be prepared to set a
  time and date for an appointment if necessary.

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Confirm utilities Positive Response
When your Project Coordinator receives a
Positive Response from the 811 center, they
will add a print copy of the locate ticket to the
job folder and send an electronic copy to the
Project Manager. Note You MUST have a print or
electronic copy of the locate ticket on the
jobsite at all times while work is being
performed.
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Utility Response Marking Utilities
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Excavator (Thats Us) Confirming Positive
Response
Identify physical evidence of utilities Meters,
vaults, manhole covers, utility risers, cuts in
pavement, sewer cleanouts, etc.
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Requirements once excavation begins Overview

• Approximate Location
• Hand digging requirements
• Use of power operated equipment
• Protecting exposed facilities
• When to call 911 or 811 again

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The Job Site Has Been Marked
Once Positive Response has been confirmed for
all notified utilities, you are now ready to
begin your excavation.
You must have a valid and current 811 ticket
physically present (electronic or paper) on all
excavation sites.
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Youre Doing it Wrong!
A STOP work condition is dictated by any act or
condition that can cause a threat to the safety
of an employee, property, quality of work or
threat to the environment or public.
Every worker on the jobsite has the right, and is
expected to STOP any activity observed which may
violate safety policies or procedures or create
an unsafe, hazardous, or dangerous condition to
workers, the public, or the environment.
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Maintaining Marks on site

• If unmarked utility is found during excavation
• Stop all excavation activities in the area near
  the unmarked utility and notify the operator and
  contact 811 or your PC. Do not resume excavation
  until the utility has been located and marked.
• If utility cannot be found as marked
• Stop all excavation activities in the area of the
  utility and request that the operator provides to
  you additional information, to the extent that
  information is available to the operator, to
  enable the excavator to determine the exact
  location of the installation.
• If marks are no longer visible on your jobsite
• Stop all excavation activities and contact 811 or
  your PC and request a refresh of the marks.

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Approximate location ofsubsurface
installations
18 tolerance zone (Colorado Requirement)
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Global Underground Policy
24 tolerance zone
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Approximate location ofsubsurface
installations
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Global Underground Policy
24 tolerance zone
24 Buffer
24 Buffer
24 Buffer
24 Buffer
50 Approximate Location
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Nondestructive methods to verify location and
elevation of existing utilities

Hydro-Excavating
Hand Digging
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Hydro-Excavating

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Hand Digging and Power Operated Equipment

• Power-operated or power-driven
• excavating or boring equipment
• Only for the removal of any pavement if there are
  no subsurface installations contained in the
  pavement.
• Power Operated or Power Driven Excavation
  equipment tools will NOT be used within the
  tolerance zone.

• Hand digging requirement
• Utilize hand tools within the area of the
  approximate location to determine the exact
  location of subsurface installations.
• Only hand tools will be used within the 18
  tolerance zone (Colorado)
• 24 tolerance zone (Global Underground Policy)

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Hand Digging within Approximate Location
OSHA 29 CFR 1926.651(b) The excavator shall
determine the exact location of subsurface
installations
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Trenchless Excavation
When using trenchless excavation methods, the
excavator shall expose underground facilities and
visually observe the safe crossing of marked
underground facilities when requested to do so by
the underground facility owner or operator.
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What to do if you damage an underground utility
line

1. Stop work immediately. Dont attempt to shut off
   service or repair, clamp or bury the damaged
   line.
2. If you know youve hit a natural gas line, or if
   youre unsure, warn others around you and leave
   the area immediately. Natural gas is extremely
   dangerous and flammable when it leaks and a line
   is exposed.
3. If an injury has occurred, call 911.
4. Call 811 to inform the Colorado One Call center
   of the damage - have your original locate request
   ticket number available. They will dispatch the
   proper crew to repair the damaged line.
5. Wait for proper crews to make repairs, they will
   inform you when its safe to continue your
   project.

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Safety around Natural Gas
Natural gas is colorless and is odorized to smell
like rotten eggs or skunks. Natural gas is
combustible, and may become explosive when
trapped in an enclosed space. Some ignition
sources are light switches, garage door openers,
pagers, cell phones, vehicles and other running
equipment.

• If you hit a natural gas line
• Leave the area and warn others.
• Call 911.
• Remove ignition sources, such as cell phones and
  cigarettes.
• Do not shut off, squeeze or clamp the gas line.
• Do not bury the broken or damaged line.
• Do not return until the area is declared safe.

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Safety around Electricity

• Electricity always seeks a path to ground. When
  you become a part of this path you can be injured
  or killed. Conductors include water, your body,
  tree branches, poles and ladders. Insulators
  isolate electricity, but they can also become a
  conductor if they're contaminated or broken.
• Assume all electric lines are energized overhead
  and in ground.
• Never touch any utility wire and do not touch
  anyone who is in contact with an electric wire.
• Survey the site for overhead power lines
• Point out the power lines to all of your crews.
• Clearly mark your boundaries to keep people and
  equipment a safe distance away. Federal law
  requires at least 10 feet of clearance for
  voltages under 115,000 - the higher voltage the
  greater the distance.
• If you must work closer, contact the utility
  owner for safety arrangements.

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Safety around Electricity (Cont.)

• Always use a spotter. It is difficult for
  equipment operators to judge safe distances by
  themselves. Dedicate a person to keep employees
  and equipment safe.
• Never enter substations.
• Never disconnect or reconnect electric service
  lines.
• If equipment comes in contact with an electric
  line
• Move the equipment away from the line if you can
  do so safely
• Warn others to stay away anyone on the ground
  who touches the equipment is in danger of being
  killed or injured
• Stay on the equipment until an emergency
  responder indicates it is safe to get off
• Jump clear without touching the ground and
  equipment at the same time if fire forces you off
  the equipment and hop away with both legs together

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When to Call 811 and or 911

• Notify 811 if
• Damage occurs
• Breaks, leaks, nicks, dents, gouges, grooves, or
  other damages.
• Contact with electrical conduits.
• Coatings or cathodic protection.
• Unable to locate utilities as marked.
• Unknown utilities are exposed/discovered.
• Marks are no longer visible.

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When to Call 811 and or 911 (Cont.)

• Notify 911immediately from a safe distance, then
  811 if
• Contact with any facility resulting in a leak or
  break causing the release of any flammable, toxic
  or corrosive gas or liquid.
• Contact with any live (Energized) power.
• Injuries to personnel which resulted from
  exposure to the above.
• Utility disruption to any critical facility
  Hospital, Airport, Fire Dept., Govt. Facility,
  etc.

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Call the Global Underground Corp. Safety
Manager
Following any type of utility strike or damage,
you must notify your Project Manager and the
Safety manager. When it is safe to do so, begin
gathering information, statements, photographs,
measurements, and other data which will be used
to investigate the incident.
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Investigation of a Utility Strike
All utility damages and strikes will be
thoroughly investigated by the Management team to
determine

• Root causes
• Contributing Factors
• Policy and procedure deficiencies
• Corrective actions
• Training effectiveness
• Other factors

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Investigation of a Utility Strike
The CGA Damage Investigation Reporting Tool
D.I.R.T. Form will be used for ALL utility strike
incident investigations.
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Some Utilities May Have Additional Requirements

• Gas Sitters
• Standby Personnel to be on-site during Excavation
  or Boring Operations
• Special permits to Cross Easements
• Special Requirements to Support Facilities
• Special Backfill Requirements
• Special Excavation Requests

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Managing Your Ticket

• Locate tickets are good for 30 days.
• Must be refreshed before expiration.
• Must be kept on the jobsite at all times while
  work is being performed.
• Only good for a single contractor and at the
  location specified.

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Subcontractors

• All Global Underground Corp. Subcontractors will
  be required to follow all established policies,
  procedures, regulations, and training
  requirements as outlined in the Global
  Underground Corp. Accident Prevention Program
  Manual in order to qualify to perform any type of
  excavation work on any of our projects.
• Any Subcontractors performing any excavation
  activities must be Gold Shovel Standard Certified
  or will be required to attend the Global
  Underground GSS Training.

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Questions
?