The Iowa One Call Newsletter

1-800-292-8989
www.iowaonecall.com

In This Issue

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

SOTA COMMITTEE UPDATE

2012 EXCAVATION SAFETY AWARENESS PROGRAM

MAPPING CORNER

WHAT'S UP BELOW

IOC CALL CENTER SEPTEMBER STATISTICS

NEW 811 SAFETY VIDEO FOR YOUR CREWS

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Iowa One Call Officers, Directors & Staff
2011 - 2012

President
Ed Greiner
Alliant Energy
319-786-2013

Vice President
Neal Drefke
Spencer Municipal Utilities
712-580-5842

Secretary/Treasurer
Timothy Flickinger
PAETEC
515-309-1135

Chairman
Dan Klopfer
Des Moines Water Works
515-283-8754

Directors

Charles Bruggerman
Windstream
641-787-2555

Dan Childers
Interstate Communications
641-765-4201

Terry Fox
MidAmerican Energy Company
515-281-2316

Curt Hodges
Mediacom
641-842-2988

Leon Hofer
Iowa Network Services
515-830-0441

Brian Mueller
Enterprise Products
319-351-1234

Greg Pavelka
East-Central Iowa REC
319-443-3564

Steve Stone
Black Hills Energy
641-792-1548

Ross Wendell
Century Link
515-286-6613

Paul Wiegand
ISU Institute for Transportation
515-294-7082

Mike Wildung
Central Iowa Water Association
641-792-7011

Class B Director
Mike Heggen
Communication Technologies Holding, Inc.
515-249-5140

Class C Director
Mick Secory
Consolidated Utility Services, Inc.
515-321-6220

IOC Center Manager
Janice Fisher
563-884-7764

IOC Administrative Staff

Craig Walter - Administrative Director

Shellie Petek - Executive Administrator

Ben Booth - Manager, Public Relations/ Communications
benbooth@netins.net

Steve Halstead - Mapping Coordinator
stevehalstead@mchsi.com

Phone: 515-278-8700
Fax: 515-278-0245
Email:
onecall@iowaonecall.com

IOC RESOURCES

iTic Flyer

IOC 2011 Protect What Really Matters PSA

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

by Ed Greiner, President

With the mild fall weather, excavation projects throughout the state continue to flourish and, in turn, so do the incoming and outgoing ticket transmissions at the Davenport call center. From February through September, incoming notifications to the call center were up by 6% at 337,384 compared to the 316,992 incoming notifications during the same period in 2010. Outgoing transmissions (actual locate notifications transmitted to underground facility operators) are up this year by 7% at 1,746,252 compared to the 1,637,950 outgoing transmissions during the same period last year. In August, the call center coordinated a record 53,276 incoming notifications.

The number of dig-ins (instances of excavation-related damage to underground facilities reported to Iowa One Call) continues to hover around the 1% range. While this is a low percentage by industry standards, the primary objective of Iowa One Call continues to be the reduction of all excavation-related incidents involving damage to the underground facilities infrastructure. Even 1% is not acceptable, especially when that figure equates to more than 4,000 reported incidents each year.

As part of an ongoing effort to advance our state's underground facilities damage prevention system, Iowa One Call continues to develop and implement new programming and systems designed to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and overall system usage. Critical to educating the public on these new systems and programs are the communications and outreach programs directed towards the primary stakeholder groups whose activities pose the greatest potential impact on damage prevention. Iowa One Call strives to provide these important stakeholder groups with the most current systems and information available. Today's professional excavators, locators and facility operators need to stay informed and remain current on the latest trends, technologies, policies and regulations that impact public safety and the integrity of the state's vital underground facilities infrastructure.

In an effort to enhance communications among the various stakeholder groups, Iowa One Call has rolled out a new website designed to improve the user experience. By visiting www.iowaonecall.com stakeholders can register to use a number of helpful systems, read about the latest system features, brush up on the "one call" laws and regulations, learn about industry trends, sign up to receive the Iowa One Call Newsletter and download informational brochures and manuals. Once registered via the website, users can access tools such as the iTic online ticket entry system (for entering locate requests online instead of by telephone), the Ticket Search system (for looking up old or recently entered locate request tickets) or various systems training tutorials.

Effective damage prevention and safety awareness remains a collaborative effort and requires constant and efficient communications among all stakeholder groups. The Iowa One Call System, as essential to damage prevention as it may be, can only be as effective as those who use the system make it. Understanding our role in damage prevention is not only important, it's the law. All stakeholders are required to know, to understand and to adhere to the requirements of the law and to the industry standards and policies that dictate safety and damage prevention. Iowa One Call is an important source of information and should be utilized as such by all industry stakeholders.

Together, we truly can make a difference.

Iowa One Call thanks you for doing your part.

Dig Safe.

STATE OF THE ART COMMITTEE UPDATE

by Dan Klopfer, Chair

These are exciting times for Iowa One Call and the State of the Art Committee in particular. The direction given to the committee through the IOC Strategic Plan has been a great tool for helping the committee focus itself. We have already completed the action plan that called for us to devise a process for evaluating the call center vendor on a semi-annual basis. We are hard at work on the action plans calling for us to make recommendations to the IOC Board for enhancements to the Design Request System; to make recommendations to the IOC Board for enhancing the overall ticket management system; and to develop and implement a plan to achieve 50% electronic ticketing. We are also working with the other IOC committees to identify abuses and abusers of the One Call System and to develop and implement training to address these concerns.

One area that is getting a lot of attention right now is the challenge of 50% electronic ticketing by November, 2013. Many efforts are coming into focus on this challenge. For example, an expanded and improved tutorial video for iTic is now available. This video is online and carefully walks the viewer through every step of the process of submitting a ticket electronically. In addition, a help desk has been established and staffed with people who are particularly talented in helping. Having a problem submitting an iTic? Give the Help Desk a call at 563-884-7762.

By the end of August, our year long electronic ticketing average had risen to over 35%. At the September IOC Board meeting, the call center reported that it is now asking each caller if they are interested in submitting tickets electronically and those who respond positively are being directed to a special website for instructions on how to submit an electronic request.

Another tool will soon be available to us in meeting this challenge. iTic Lite is an electronic ticketing process that will be available to homeowners and infrequent users of Iowa One Call. It will still ask those questions required by law, but will use terms and definitions familiar to homeowners. The user will not have to register to use iTic Lite as it is expected that its use will be very infrequent. The computer programming for iTic Lite is done and is being internally tested before it is released for use. It is expected to be available by the end of October.

Wait until you see what we work on next!

2012 EXCAVATION SAFETY AWARENESS PROGRAM

Here's the schedule for the 2012 Excavation Safety Awareness Program. The theme will be "Working Together for a Safer Iowa," More information will be available on the Iowa One Call website as it becomes available.

Day	Date	Community	Location	Type
MON	January 9	Red Oak	Red Coach Inn	Luncheon
TUE	January 10	Creston	Eagles Lodge	Luncheon
WED	January 11	Altoona	Adventureland Inn	Luncheon
TUE	January 17	Ames	Quality Inn & Suites	Luncheon
MON	January 23	Waterloo	Electric Park Ballroom	Luncheon
TUE	January 24	West Union	Echo Valley	Luncheon
WED	January 25	Charles City	Elks Club-Clark Street	Luncheon
MON	January 30	Sioux City	Bev's	Luncheon
TUE	January 31	Council Bluffs	Mid-America Center	Luncheon
MON	February 6	Thompson	Branding Iron	Luncheon
TUE	February 7	Clear Lake	Best Western Holiday Lodge	Luncheon
WED	February 8	Ft Dodge	Best Western Starlite	Luncheon
MON	February 13	Des Moines	Airport Holiday Inn	Breakfast
MON	February 13	Des Moines	Airport Holiday Inn	Luncheon
TUE	February 14	Marshalltown	Best Western Regency	Luncheon
MON	February 20	Spencer	Clay County Reg Event Center	Luncheon
TUE	February 21	Cherokee	WIT Conference Center	Luncheon
WED	February 22	Carroll	Carrollton Inn	Luncheon
MON	February 27	Cedar Rapids	Best Western Longbranch Hotel	Breakfast
MON	February 27	Cedar Rapids	Best Western Longbranch Hotel	Luncheon
TUE	February 28	Dubuque	Best Western Midway Hotel	Luncheon
WED	February 29	Clinton	Rastrelli's	Luncheon
MON	March 5	Davenport	Best Western Steeplegate	Breakfast
MON	March 5	Davenport	Best Western Steeplegate	Luncheon
TUE	March 6	Iowa City	Quality Inn & Suites	Luncheon
MON	March 12	Pella	Central-Graham Center	Luncheon
MON	March 19	Burlington	Pzazz Complex	Luncheon
TUE	March 20	Mt. Pleasant	Golf & Country Club	Luncheon
WED	March 21	Ottumwa	Hotel Ottumwa	Luncheon

MAPPING CORNER

by Steve Halstead, Mapping Coordinator

When we changed Call Center operators in February, the new vendors, One Call Concepts (OCC), continued to use the database that the previous vendor had been using. We soon realized that no road map updates had been done for over a year. In a number of Iowa counties this probably didn't make much of a difference, because few if any new streets had been built. In other counties, however, new streets and roads are being built on a regular basis. This shows up at the Call Center when the Customer Service Representative (CSR) tries to map the excavation site; it quickly becomes apparent that we don't have that street or road in our database. While this doesn't make it impossible to complete the ticket, it absolutely makes the process more difficult and time consuming for both the CSR and the caller.

The same thing happens when an excavator tries to use iTic to enter a ticket. Things go just great until the excavator tries to map a location that hasn't been appropriately updated in our system. Again, it is not impossible, just more difficult and time consuming.

As time passed, we realized that we needed to do something rather drastic. It was decided that OCC would buy a new base map and totally replace the one they had been using. After looking around, they decided to purchase the Tiger 10 base map and to install it this fall. In the meantime, updates to the current maps have been put on hold unless there is a specific need for that update. (NOTE: Changes to the maps showing owner/operator facilities have been updated as we receive them.) Current plans are for the new database to be installed in a test file in November.

Once the new database is installed, owner/operators will be contacted by OCC and alerted to this change. Because of improvements to mapping technology and the use of aerial mapping, it is expected that the new base map will be more accurate than the previous map (as well as showing recently added streets and roads). The more accurate rendition may change the grids selected by owner/operators. For example, if a facility is running down the center of Main Street and the grid boundary is along the east side of Main Street, the more accurate map may now show Main Street fifty feet to the east, placing the facility in a different grid. Facility owner/operators will be directed to a new map and will be able to check their grids BEFORE the new base map is permanently installed. It is very important that owner/operators identify any changes to their selected grids.

This base map change will also present all owner/operators with an opportunity to update their selected grids. In many cases, no changes have been made to the grids selected since the system was initiated nearly twenty-five years ago. At that time, we said a city/town had facilities in every grid within their corporate limits. Clearly, it is possible that there were even large areas of a town that had no buried facilities that were inside the corporate limits. If this has never been reviewed and corrected, it is possible owner/operators will receive fewer tickets and certainly fewer incorrect tickets. In the interest of damage prevention and cost savings, it will be well worth all owner/operators' time to make this review.

Final implementation and replacement of the current database will take place at a time set by the IOC Board, probably after the first of the year.

WHAT'S UP BELOW

by Ben Booth, Manager Public Relations/Communications

How Well Do You Know Iowa One Call?

Most of you reading this newsletter are professionals employed within a field that may very likely require you to have a clear understanding of the Iowa One Call System. Take a moment to test your knowledge and see if you need to brush up on your "one call skills."

Note: These questions pertain specifically to the legal requirements as stated in the Iowa Code, Chapter 480. There may (or may not) be more than one correct answer appearing in each multiple choice question.

1. At what point can an excavation begin?

a. At the time noted on the One Call ticket when the excavator states the project will begin

b. At the time all facilities listed on the One Call ticket have been properly located and marked
c. After 2 business days
d. After at least 48 hours, excluding weekends and legal holidays
e. All of the above

2. At what point does a One Call ticket expire?

a. After 5 days on non-permanent surfaces and after 10 days on permanent surfaces

b. When the original locate markings have been destroyed or completely faded away

c. When the original markings have been covered with snow

d. The locate ticket does not expire

3. Under Iowa law an excavation includes:

a. Removing concrete from a sidewalk or driveway

b. Pounding a stake into the ground

c. Only activities penetrating the soil fifteen inches or more in depth

d. Putting in a residential garden

e. All of the above

4. What is the Tolerance Zone in Iowa?

a. 18 inches on either side of the locate markings

b. 15 inches horizontally on either side of the locate markings

c. 18 inches horizontally on either side of the underground facility

d. There is no Tolerance Zone in Iowa

5. Who can legally excavate under any given One Call ticket?

a. The excavator who originally made the One Call notification.

b. All employees and legal entities affiliated with the organization making the One Call notification

c. Any sub-contractor working in conjunction with the general contractor making the notification

d. The homeowner whose property the excavator making the notification is working on

e. All of the above

6. Who is responsible for preserving and maintaining the locate markings during the excavation?

a. The locator

b. The facility operator

c. The excavator

d. All of the above

7. What is the maximum civil penalty violators of the "One Call" law may be subject to?

a. $5,000

b. $500,000

c. $20,000

d. Violators cannot be assessed civil penalties

8. What is the legal response time locators must adhere to for all emergency One Call notifications?

a. Two hours

b. As soon as practical

c. Six hours

d. There is no defined timeline

9. Legally, which agencies must be contacted in the event an excavation results in the escape of natural gas?

a. Iowa One Call

b. 911

c. The owner/operator of the damaged facility

d. All of the above

10. When can the validity of a locate notice transmitted via Iowa One Call be challenged?

a. In the field by locators

b. In the field by excavators

c. Never

d. Iowa One Call tickets are official notifications and can only be disputed via proper channels

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CORRECT ANSWERS!

IOC CALL CENTER SEPTEMBER STATISTICS
Click here to see a complete report of inbound and outbound ticket volume, average seconds to answer, average time per ticket, Design Request System activity, iTic activity, and more.

NEW 811 SAFETY VIDEO FOR YOUR CREWS

A new safety video that spells out the importance of calling 811 before you dig is now available for seasoned professionals. It is available for free streaming, and you can also order copies of the DVD online. Created by Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the video details the 5-step process of calling 811 to have utilities marked before digging. These steps are: making a free call to 811 a few days before digging, waiting the required time, locating accurately, confirming all marks, and digging with care. NUCA (the industry association representing utility contractors and excavators), along with the Associated General Contractors, National Utility Locating Contractors Association and many utility operators across the country helped the CGA create this video. It can be viewed online by clicking here. Damage prevention stakeholders may also purchase DVDs online for a nominal cost recovery fee plus shipping and handling by clicking here.

This newsletter is published by Iowa One Call, Administrative Office, 9001 Hickman Road, Suite 220, Des Moines, Iowa 50322.

Copyright © 2011 Iowa One Call. All rights reserved. These materials may not be reproduced without permission of Iowa One Call.

Disclaimer: This publication is designed to provide general information in regard to the subject matter covered and should not be used as a substitute for professional service, advice or actual wording of regulations or standards in specific situations. The reader is cautioned that the publisher does not endorse or recommend specific manufacturers, industry standards or practices and reliance should not be placed upon the information within this publication without confirming independent research.