DIRT Report

Data-Driven Recommendations to Guide the Damage Prevention Industry

As we confront the challenge of significantly reducing damages to underground utilities, addressing the persistent top root causes demands a transformative mindset across the industry. While the 2022 DIRT Report provides detailed, root cause-specific recommendations that remain relevant, the 2023 Report calls for even more decisive steps towards industry-wide improvement.

The following recommendations build upon previous insights while introducing new, data- driven strategies to tackle our most pressing challenges. We recommend the following actions to achieve our aggressive 50-in-5 industry challenge: enhance data quality and reporting, target top damage drivers and improve locating practices.

Enhancing Data Quality and Reporting

• FACILITY OWNERS , LOCATORS , EXCAVATORS : Participate in the Damage Prevention Institute and submit damage data and metrics on a monthly basis to accelerate industry insights and improvements.
• 811 CENTERS : Implement a standardized metric for measuring locate timeliness or “excavation readiness.”
• 811 CENTERS : Establish a consistent process for mapping 811 center ticket data to standard DIRT field options such as work type.

ALL STAKEHOLDERS :

• Regularly assess organizational data collection policies and DIRT DQI score, and develop strategies to reduce the percentage of "unknown" entries in critical data fields like root cause and work type.
• Utilize the DIRT root cause flow chart to guide more actionable root cause selection and the Common Work Types tool to map free text to DIRT work types – both are tools developed by CGA Committees.
• Become familiar with your state’s damage reporting requirements by reviewing regulations and 811 center guidelines, ensure all relevant staff are trained on reporting procedures and implement internal processes to meet or exceed state reporting standards.
• Bookmark the DIRT Interactive Dashboard and explore it regularly to guide your damage prevention outreach and programs.

Targeting Top Damage Drivers

• FACILITY OWNERS , EXCAVATORS , 811 CENTERS : Implement tailored education and outreach programs for water/sewer, telecom and construction/development excavators, which are the leading types of work involved in damages.
• ALL STAKEHOLDERS :
  • Develop tiered education approaches based on the urban-rural continuum, recognizing that each geography poses unique challenges.
  • Strengthen media and outreach materials for use following extreme weather to reduce damages in the wake of increased precipitation, natural disasters and other extreme events.
  • Establish coordination mechanisms between government agencies/regulators, facility owners, excavators, locators and other industry stakeholders to manage the impact of increased infrastructure investments and reduce the incidence of utility-on-utility damage.
• FACILITY OWNERS , LOCATORS , EXCAVATORS , 811 CENTERS : Develop scalable damage prevention strategies to accommodate the expected surge in excavation activities and arrival of out-of-state excavators who may be unfamiliar with local damage prevention regulations.

Improving Locating Practices

• ALL STAKEHOLDERS : Develop enforcement mechanisms for timely locating, considering both monetary (e.g., New Mexico) and collaborative (e.g., Massachusetts) approaches.
• FACILITY OWNERS : Improve contracts with third-party locators to ensure there are not financial, temporal or other barriers to on-time and accurate delivery of locates. Consider implementing best value contracts, which prioritize quality and overall value over the lowest price, as one potential approach to achieve this goal. Regularly meet with third-party locators to facilitate collaboration and information-sharing, regardless of the contract type in place.
• FACILITY OWNERS : Invest in GPS-enabled locating devices and develop a protocol for locators to update facility maps in the field, ensuring that new or revised asset information is more immediately available to excavators and locators who need it. Implement a quality control process to verify and approve map updates before they are finalized.
• FACILITY OWNERS , LOCATORS , 811 CENTERS : Conduct thorough analysis of 811 ticket screening effects on damage rates and Locating Practice root causes.

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