- The Best Practices Committee took action to address all recommendations outlined in the 2019 and 2020 DIRT Reports, establishing five new working groups.
The CGA Best Practices manual includes more than 160 practices that cover all phases of the 811 process, agreed to by each of CGA’s 16 stakeholder groups. All practices go through a seven-step process that includes review by a task team, the full Best Practices Committee, and finally the CGA Board of Directors. Two fundamental principles must apply for a Best Practice to be adopted by CGA—it must: (1) actually be in use somewhere, and (2) achieve consensus from representatives of all CGA stakeholder groups.
A description of the process can be found here: https://bestpractices.commongroundalliance.com/1-Introduction/14-Best-Practices-Process.
The 2019 and 2020 DIRT Reports included sections relating leading damage root causes to corresponding Best Practices and provided recommendations based on the review. CGA’s Best Practices Committee formed working groups to review the suggestions. An update on the Best Practices Committee and an overview of practices approved by the committee can be found at https://bestpractices.commongroundalliance.com.
DIRT recommendations resulted in the advancement of multiple practice proposals. During the past year, the Best Practices Committee approved updates to the following practices:
- 2-19 – Underground Electronic Utility Markers
- 3-1 – Proactive Public Awareness, Education and Damage Prevention Activities
- 3-2 – Specifically Defined Geopolitical Service Area with No Overlap
- 3-3 – Formal Agreements with Members
- 3-4 – One Call Center Governance
- 3-6 – Hours of Operation
- 4-4 – Single Locator (removed)
- 4-17 – Forecasting/Planning for Predictable Workload Fluctuations
- 5-2 – Delineate Area of Proposed Excavation
- 6-17 – Accuracy of Location Information
- Appendix B – Marking Guidelines, Guidelines for Underground Electronic Marker Technology
- Update reference to “one call center” in the Best Practices to reflect “811 center”
- Definition of “electronic white-lining”