While the unusually hot and dry summer has left many in the Midwest struggling with severe drought issues, the construction and excavating industry continues to flourish. Iowa is no exception, with incoming locate notices up a full 10-percent in May and up 3-percent in June compared to the same period in 2011. In June we saw a slight increase in the percent of reported "dig-ins," with 1.07-percent of the total incoming calls compared to 0.92-percent in June of 2011. While Iowa's reported dig-in percentages continue to be among the nations lowest, the IOC Board believes that further reductions are imperative. The goal of Iowa One Call is to prevent damage altogether. The 2011-2013 Iowa One Call Strategic Plan includes a comprehensive outreach and communications plan designed to target "system abusers" and specific "sensitive markets," where excavation-related damages are known to occur more frequently.

As the 2012 advertising campaign and other communications programs continue, planning is underway for 2013 programming. The Excavation Safety Awareness Committee (ESAP) has set their sights on developing partnership programs aimed at specific excavating markets, including the state's agricultural-excavating communities. The partnership programs will focus on "partnering" with damage-prevention stakeholder groups (e.g.: pipeline operators) and developing custom programs designed to reach targeted excavator markets (e.g.: tilers and agricultural land improvement contractors). In light of the serious pipeline explosions that rocked two Iowa agricultural tiling sites in April, IOC has ramped up efforts to reach this particular "target-market" with customized communications programs. The last thing we need is another Hudson incident; (note: the 1982 Hudson, Iowa excavation-related pipeline explosion killed five Iowans and made an everlasting impact on the victims' families and the community).

Systems development continues to progress as the State of the Art Committee (SOTA) moves forward on enhancements to the ITIC online ticketing system and the IMAP facilities management and mapping system. Further enhancements continue with other systems designed to expedite the caller notification process, including a new "ITIC LITE" system designed for use by infrequent callers - such as homeowners. Additionally, the development of new systems is near completion and includes the implementation of automated telephony systems designed to facilitate more efficient caller/system interaction.

As the IOC Board and staff close in on completing the action plans and directives set forth in the 2011-2013 Iowa One Call Strategic Plan, a new planning phase will commence focusing on 2014 through 2016. Future programming objectives will include an emphasis on developing effective partnership programs that target the specific markets known to have the greatest impact on underground facility systems. Ongoing developments and enhancements to the call center systems will remain a high priority, as well as the primary goal of safeguarding all Iowans and protecting the state's underground facilities infrastructure.

Attaining the safety and damage prevention goals necessary to protect all Iowans will necessarily require the dedicated commitment by all Iowa stakeholders to develop and embrace a strict code of safety and damage prevention protocols. Truly, we are all in this together.

Dig Safe!

Last week IOC received a call from a locator in northern Iowa. Dillon is a tech for United States Infrastructure Company (USIC) and reported he had a ticket to locate, but when he got to the site, he discovered that there was a fiber line that was not in the Iowa One Call database. Thankfully, we were able to contact the owners of the line and get the proper location mapped in our database. Thank you Dillon!

We also received an email from a rural suburb that had extended their sewer lines and now wanted it added to our database.

The solution to both of these problems was very simple: IMAP.

IMAP is a web-based notification database management tool. It is available to owners/operators of utilities that have notification databases registered with Iowa One Call. They can use it to add, subtract, or even change the route of their facilities in a very straightforward and easy process.

After registering and receiving training, the user accesses IMAP via the IOC web site by entering a username and password. After selecting the county of interest, the user can view a map showing the currently selected grids. The user can add, delete or create new grids in the context of this map. He or she can also forego using grids and instead create polygons if desired. Once the information is submitted, the user is asked to verify any changes. Once verified, the changes go into the database where they are immediately available to the CSRs at the Call Center. It's just that quick and easy.

Municipalities may want to use IMAP to look at their currently selected grids to make sure that they actually have facilities in those grids. If not, why keep them in our database? Even though they have nothing in that grid, they will get notifications costing $0.90 each time someone excavates in those grids.

Pipelines may want to use IMAP to make sure that they have established the appropriate buffer area around their pipelines. The use of polygons may provide for some cost savings to these users.

Would you like to use IMAP? To register, simply call Shelly at the Call Center (563-884-7762) and tell her you would like to register to use IMAP. She will register you and schedule you for a training session that works with your schedule. Once trained, you will be provided with a username and password and will be able to use IMAP anytime you want.

AND if you, like Dillon, should find an underground facility that is not in our database, please give us a call and we will work with the utility to get it mapped.

It's always a good thing to be reminded of why what we do is important. Within the damage prevention industry, however, that proverbial reminder can come in the form of a serious "wakeup call." In late April, two such serious wakeup calls came in the form of two separate excavation-related natural gas pipeline explosions. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, but that was a matter of sheer luck. The April 25th incident near Hinton, Iowa involved a 24-inch natural gas pipeline, which exploded after being struck by tiling equipment. Less than 48-hours later another incident, involving tiling equipment and a 14-inch natural gas pipeline, occurred across the state near Maquoketa. The incidents, both eerily similar, involved huge explosions and fireballs reaching 200 feet into the air; in both cases there were no locate notifications made to the Iowa One Call System. These types of potentially deadly incidents can easily be avoided through a most basic and simple planning process. A quick (and free) call to 811 at least 48-hours prior to starting any excavations (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays), is all it ever takes to implement the locating and marking process at any given worksite. Given the fact that lives and the well-being of the community are at stake - the excavators themselves are at particular risk - it's incomprehensible why professional excavators fail to make their required one call notices.

Poor planning is the primary culprit. Regardless of whether it is due to a lack of understanding, an oversight, or a calculated risk, it's still poor planning and that's unacceptable and inexcusable. The great majority of professional excavators in Iowa utilize the Iowa One Call System as it was intended. That leaves a small percentage of professionals who literally put the rest of us - our communities - at risk. They need to stop doing that. While the private sector still needs to be properly educated about their required responsibilities pertaining to the state's Iowa One Call System, Iowa's professional excavators really should have at least a basic understanding of the legal requirements - and their legal obligations. Iowa One Call has a comprehensive marketing and communications plan in place designed to educate the general public. Iowa One Call also implements multiple ongoing educational outreach programs aimed at the professional sector. Even so, it would be very beneficial to every Iowan if the professional sector would tighten up the proverbial reins to corral "the herd's strays" (i.e.: the uninformed, the "corner-cutters," "neglectors," even the "reckless system abusers"). The excavating community needs to help spread the safety and damage prevention message. Contractors need to talk with other contractors; they need to share and exchange ideas and procedures; they need to set examples for their industry. Everyone will benefit by doing this. We are, quite literally, "in this together." Of course, this applies to other stakeholder groups as well (locators, utilities and other underground facility operators).

Professional contractors should only work with subcontractors who adhere to the legal requirements of their profession. The general public should only do business with the professional contractors/excavators who comply with state law. In short, we need to "weed" the professional sector by being more selective and by educating the companies and individuals who may not fully understand their responsibilities. Damage prevention and public safety are not minor details. When a catastrophe occurs - there have been several recent "wakeup calls," such as the aforementioned pipeline incidents - that's when the federal and state agencies become involved and legislation is written, and liability is scrutinized. Preventing such catastrophes is the intent of any good damage prevention system. The system is only as good, however, as the sum of its parts. Damage prevention is a shared responsibility and we in this industry have been charged with safeguarding the public's well-being. No small task.

Work together. Dig safe!

Iowa One Call's partnership with Win-Tron Racing and driver Mason Mingus was a huge success and provided IOC with national and local television coverage, press releases and one of the best looking and highly-visible cars on the racetrack. The number 32 Iowa One Call / 811 car did well, placing 12th at Mingus's inaugural running of the Prairie Meadows 200.

Read the full press release here. 

Iowa One Call board members pose with the number 32 Iowa one Call/811 car and driver. From left: Curt Hodges, Greg Pavelka, Steve Stone, Terry Fox, with driver mason Mingus (center front).

Pit-stop for the number 32 Iowa One Call/811 car

The number 32 Iowa One Call/811 car in action (+170 mph)