DIRT Report

DIRT Resources

Data informs nearly every aspect of CGA’s operations and industry recommendations. From the formation and publication of its Best Practices manual to 811 public awareness efforts, CGA’s Data Reporting & Evaluation program touches every aspect of damage prevention. The program collects critical information, analyzing the numbers and producing targeted recommendations to damage prevention stakeholders about how to best protect buried facilities.

With the launch of the Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT, www.cga-dirt.com) in late 2003, all stakeholders have been able to submit underground damage and near-miss reports into one data repository. Using information submitted through the tool each year, CGA’s Data Reporting and Evaluation program publishes an annual report (the DIRT Report) and dashboard.

About DIRT

What is DIRT? DIRT stands for Damage Information Reporting Tool. DIRT is a secure web application for reporting excavation-related damages and near-miss events involving underground utilities. Every year hundreds of thousands of excavation-related damages occur in North America, threatening public safety and costing billions of dollars. The objective of DIRT is to collect data to understand where, how and why these events are occurring. Data from all contributing stakeholders is aggregated and summary trend analysis is performed to identify ways to reduce these occurrences. The data will NOT be used for enforcement purposes or for determinations of liability. The individual identities of involved parties and specific details are kept confidential.

Why should I submit data to DIRT? The primary motivation is helping to identify national trends and solutions that can improve damage prevention, such as new or revised Best Practices, educational programs, technology applications, legislation, etc. Other reasons to submit to DIRT include being able to compare your organization to national, state, and/or industry data and identify opportunities to improve your own organization's damage prevention processes and performance.

How is the data used? The data is primarily used to produce the annual DIRT reports and on-line public dashboard. These reports help stakeholders identify the leading root causes of excavation incidents, and other related information such as the type of excavator, equipment used and work performed, facilities affected, right-of-way, depth, exemptions, etc. Stakeholders then use that information to build damage prevention strategies and campaigns to help reduce future incidents.

When is the deadline for submitting reports? You can submit reports at any time, but data from the preceding year must be submitted by March 31 to be included in the annual report.

Become an Authorized DIRT Integrator

CGA’s DIRT Authorized Integrator Program makes submitting damage and near-miss data as easy and accessible as possible through secure, seamless integration into your organization’s software application. The DIRT Authorized Integrator Program is CGA’s latest enhancement to the DIRT program, intended to make submitting to DIRT easier than ever and ultimately generate a more comprehensive view of the state of damage prevention in CGA’s annual DIRT Report.

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Join the Data Committee

The Data Reporting & Evaluation Committee is the driving force behind CGA’s Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT). The committee the processes that govern the tool and manages the statistical evaluation/reporting of data on an annual basis.

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DIRT FAQs