811 or 911...Change One Little Number and Your Whole World Changes

CONFERENCE SESSIONS: 2011

Presenter: Michael Callan , Callan and Company

Session Description

This program will talk about the work that is currently being done in emergency response to pipelines and explain the national programs from NASFM and PHMSA Pipeline Emergencies. Unfortunately the major cause of 911 calls for pipeline emergencies still is the failure of the excavators to dial 811. This presentation is a new approach to convince excavators for the need to make the call to 811 or else deal with the sad consequences of not calling 811 and then having to dial 911 for a Pipeline Emergencies.

Read more about the CGA EXCAVATION SAFETY & EXPO: March 8-10, 2011 and it's scheduled conference sessions here.

Subsurface Utility Locating & Marking Workshop

Tuesday, March 8, 2011
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Before December 17, 2010		December 17, 2010 or after
CGA Member	Non-CGA Member	CGA Member	Non-CGA Member
$370	$370	$395	$395

Who Should Attend?  Not only is this skills training workshop a great introductory session and a valuable career building tool for the novice line locator, the workshop was designed to challenge and expand the knowledge base of even the most seasoned of pro’s of the art of underground line locating and marking.   

What you will learn:  This information packed utility locator training workshop addresses both the art and science of the sometimes puzzling and daunting task of Underground Utility Line Locating and Marking.  Locating technicians perform their duties daily in response to each states “Call Before You Dig” laws prior to planned and emergency excavation activities.   Mastery of this task of High Tech “hide and seek” is vital not only for employee safety but also the general public near excavation sites.   With a balanced mixture of classroom theory training combined with valuable hands-On field instruction performed outdoors participants will gain an A to Z understanding of the process. Special Emphasis is placed on mastery of the electronic detection equipment and troubleshooting techniques to solve utility locating puzzles. Participants will also gain an overall understanding of the entire National Utility Infrastructure layout. Utility locator training is key to insuring competent employees are responding to excavation notifications and then locating and marking the estimated location of underground utilities prior to excavation activities.  
Classroom Training and Field Instruction:  This two-fold training workshop begins with a live classroom training sessions with comprehensive animated slide presentations, lively discussions, and a supporting workbook loaded with reference materials and classroom activities. The classroom session is followed by a Hands On instruction performed outdoors where a variety of conventional and not so conventional equipment is placed in the hands of the workshop participants in efforts to build an "equipment friendly" users of line detection equipment.  
Non-Vendor Specific Training:  Utility training academy, utilizes only Non-vendor specific training materials. This allows our instructors to focus on the basic design and concept of conventional equipment as well as troubleshooting techniques to use when faced with line locating problems. The hands-on training gives you the opportunity to apply the knowledge obtained during the classroom portion of the training.   Much emphasis is placed on site investigations prior to locating.      
Why you should attend: 
- This workshop is also approved for 6-8 Continuing Educational Hours or Training Credits for  Water Operator Certification renewals in Florida, Tennessee, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Minnesota, Oklahoma. 
- Workshop approved for 8 contact hours for CWEA certificate holders for credit toward the continuing education requirement for re-certification.  
- This training covers the minimum training requirements identified in the Common Ground Alliance Best Practices 4-5- DOT Operator Qualification OQ Training and Testing 
Presented by: Bob Nighswonger, President, Utility Training Academy.  Mr. Nighswonger in a 25 year veteran in the utility locating and damage prevention industry.

 CGA EXCAVATION SAFETY 

CONFERENCE & EXPO: MARCH 8-10, 2011 

CARIBE ROYALE HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER - ORLANDO, FLORIDA

Register for the CGA Excavation Safety Conference & Expo NOW!

The premier Excavation Safety event for the
Underground Community returns to Orlando!

The CGA Excavation Safety Conference & Expo brings together stakeholders from throughout the industry to share ideas, learn from the experts and gather information on industry trends and technologies.
  • More than 50 conference sessions!
  • Over 100 exhibits & demonstrations!
  • In-depth workshops!
  • Networking functions!
  • Underground Safety Summit!
  • Learn from industry leaders!
  • Common Ground Alliance (CGA) Annual Meeting
  •And much, much more!

Register BEFORE DECEMBER 17, 2010 and receive discounted registration fees & reduced hotel rates!

Lightning Damage

Wrapping tracer wire around plastic pipe is sometimes done to ensure accurate locates, but you run the risk of lightning strikes running down the tracer wire and melting holes in the pipe.

CHRISTIE, PARKER & HALE OBTAINS AN IMPORTANT PATENT FOR A GPS DRIVEN UTILITY ASSET MANAGEMENT AND DAMAGE PREVENTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

LOS ANGELES -- Second graph, second sentence of release, patent number should read: 7,834,806 (sted 7,482,973).

The corrected release reads:

CHRISTIE, PARKER & HALE OBTAINS AN IMPORTANT PATENT FOR A GPS DRIVEN UTILITY ASSET MANAGEMENT AND DAMAGE PREVENTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

Christie, Parker & Hale LLP, one of Southern California's leading intellectual property law firms, announced today that the firm prosecuted another major patent application through issuance, for its client, Guardian ProStar, Inc. of Grand Junction, Colorado.

“We are excited to have played a significant role in the issuance of this patent for our client,” said Raymond R. Tabandeh, the CPH partner who prosecuted the patent. The patent, U.S. Pat. No. 7,834,806, pertains to collecting and managing data and information about utility assets buried under the ground. This data is required to make numerous business decisions like how, when and where excavators should or should not be digging the ground. The asset data is collected and integrated with GIS landbase and topography data in a precision grid, in real time. The data may then be stored to be utilized by the utility, construction, government, and other organizations. The extensive data may be integrated with commercially available map data, such as Google Map™.

"Inaccurate mapping and lack of sharing of buried asset location management information continues to be a major problem throughout the U.S. and abroad. Events, including the recent gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, California, which resulted in several loss of lives and significant damage to the environment, are directly related to ineffective asset data management practices and inaccurate data," Tabandeh added.

ProStar’s Chief Executive Officer, Page Tucker stated: "The nation’s infrastructure highway and roadway, as well as the buried infrastructure that includes the gas lines, fiber optic, sewer and water lines are aging. Additionally, the increased construction activities in congested underground corridors add significant concerns to an already problematic situation. When coupled with poor planning and inaccurate asset location practices that have existed for several decades, you have a serious problem on your hands. This problem must be addressed, otherwise, recent catastrophic events that we have witnessed will continue to occur."

This latest patent adds increased value to a growing IP portfolio of ProStar that offers unique processes for precision data collection, storage and distribution, as well as excavation guidance systems.

Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2010/11/16/2642811/christie-parker-hale-obtains-an.html#ixzz15eRqnOtC






Source: SunHerald.com

Attorney General Miller: Four lawsuits allege "one call" violations

11/16/2010 CONTACT: Geoff Greenwood Communications Director 515-281-6699 geoff.greenwood@iowa.gov FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 16, 2010 (DES MOINES, Iowa) Attorney General Tom Miller today announced Iowa One Call law enforcement actions in four counties. Four separate lawsuits involve excavations conducted in the vicinity of natural gas or hazardous liquids pipelines, without first providing required notice of the planned excavations and having the pipelines located and marked. “We allege that these defendants did not do what the law required of them before excavating. That threatened the integrity of gas or hazardous materials pipelines, it could have jeopardized the safety of these crews, and it could have been an expensive and inconvenient service disruption to the public,” Miller said. “Iowa’s One Call law is simple. You call before you dig.” Iowa law requires that any person, homeowner, professional, public or private entity, planning to engage in any form of excavation within the state of Iowa, must notify the Iowa One Call notification system, at 1-800-292-8989 or 811, at least 48 hours prior to excavating. The One Call law authorizes civil penalties of up to $10,000 per day of violation, plus injunctive relief. Miller’s office has resolved the suits with each of the defendants, subject to court approval of the proposed consent decrees. Mills County - David Dreyer d/b/a Dreyer AG Petition On October 27, 2009, David Dreyer d/b/a Dreyer AG conducted an excavation with a bulldozer and trenching equipment to install terraces and drainage tile without providing 48-hours notice of the planned excavation and having underground facilities located and marked. The defendant’s trenching equipment crossed over a 26-inch diameter natural gas pipeline and a 36-inch diameter natural gas pipeline, both under 425 psi pressure, hitting and gouging the latter pipeline requiring repairs. Under the consent decree issued Monday, Dreyer will pay a $7,000 civil penalty and be enjoined against further violations. Buchanan County - David W. Recker Excavating, L.L.C. Petition On December 1, 2009, David W. Recker Excavating, L.L.C. conducted an excavation with a bulldozer to reshape a waterway without providing 48-hours notice of the planned excavation and having underground facilities located and marked. The defendant’s bulldozer crossed directly over a 36-inch diameter natural gas pipeline under 1926 psi pressure and within 50 feet of a 12-inch diameter hazardous liquids pipeline under 600 psi pressure. Under the proposed consent decree, Recker will pay a $5,000 civil penalty and be enjoined against further violations. Sioux County - Dan Fedders Petition On June 30, 2009, Dan Fedders conducted an excavation to install new fencing without providing 48-hours notice of the planned excavation and having underground facilities located and marked. The defendant’s equipment came to within nine inches of a 12-inch diameter hazardous liquids pipeline under several hundred pounds of pressure per square inch. Under the consent decree issued Monday, Fedders will pay a $3,000 civil penalty and be enjoined against further violations. Winnebago County - Ron Redenious Petition On April 27, 2010, Ron Redenius conducted an excavation with a backhoe to repair tile lines without providing 48-hours notice of the planned excavation and having underground facilities located and marked. The defendant’s backhoe came to within 50 inches of a three-inch diameter natural gas pipeline and within 25 feet of another three-inch diameter natural gas pipeline, both under 475 psi pressure. Under the proposed consent decree, Redenius will pay a $3,000 civil penalty and be enjoined against further violations. Background on Iowa’s "One Call" Law: Iowa’s OneCallCenter is reached at 1-800-292-8989, or via the national 811 number. It is located in Davenport and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Customer service personnel handle more than 50,000 calls a month during peak seasons. The OneCallCenter sends "locate requests" immediately to utility companies, who are required to mark underground utility locations within 48 hours with flags or paint showing where underground lines are located. The One Call web site is: http://www.iowaonecall.com. Utility operators locate and mark underground facilities such as gas, hazardous liquids, communications, electric, cable TV, water, and sewer lines. Each year, Iowa One Call personnel handle more than 400,000 incoming calls, and coordinate more than two million underground facility "locates" in Iowa. Iowa’s One Call law (Iowa Code Ch. 480) has been in effect since 1993. The Iowa One Call operation is paid-for by owners and operators of pipelines and other underground facilities. Services provided by Iowa One Call are free of charge to excavators. Violators are subject to a civil penalty up to $10,000 per day for violations related to natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines, and up to $1,000 per day involving other underground facilities. Violators also may be liable for the repair costs of damaged facilities. Source: IowaPolitics.com

Pipeline breaks draw attention to safety concerns

Mark L. Heydlauff • Sturgis Journal

Signs like this are often the only clear indicator of buried pipelines. According to state records, two natural gas transmission lines cross different portions of St. Joseph County. Michigan is the 11th largest producer of natural gas in the United States.

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