CGA’s 2023 DIRT report shows fewer utility damages, urges action on locating delays
(UI) — The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) has released its 2023 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report, showing a drop in utility damage incidents but highlighting ongoing challenges in reducing damages to buried infrastructure.
The report introduces the CGA Index, a new metric that tracks year-over-year trends in underground facility damages.
The CGA Index recorded a six-point decrease in damages from 2022 to 2023, a sign of progress. However, the report emphasizes that more efforts are needed to meet the CGA’s goal of reducing damages by 50% in five years. According to CGA President and CEO Sarah K. Magruder Lyle, rising excavation activities driven by infrastructure investments and persistent delays in utility locating are major contributors to damages.
“While the six-point decrease reflected by the CGA Index is encouraging, the data in the DIRT Report highlights the persistent issues where progress is critical,” Sarah K. Magruder Lyle, CGA president and CEO, said. “The surge in excavation activities fueled by infrastructure investments combined with the ongoing challenge of completing utility locates requires our continued collaborative and data-driven approach to address the behaviors and practices that most contribute to damages.”
Main causes of damage:
The report identifies six key root causes of utility damage, which accounted for 76% of incidents for the third year in a row. These include:
- Failure to notify 811 (26%)
- Excavator failing to maintain clearance (15%)
- Facility not marked due to locator error (14%)
- Improper excavation practices (8%)
- Inaccurate markings due to locator error (7%)
- Excavator digging before verifying marks (4%)
Telecommunications and natural gas facilities were the most affected, with telecommunications accounting for nearly 50% of all damages.
Locating delays:
The report also underscores delays in utility locating as a significant issue. Data from 12 states shows that excavators face a 50-50 chance of starting work on time due to utilities not providing timely locates, undermining confidence in the 811 system. Several states, including Georgia, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, have implemented innovative approaches to improve locate timeliness and reduce damages.
Recommendations:
The 2023 DIRT Report includes recommendations to address the leading causes of damage. These include improving data quality, adopting standardized metrics for locate timeliness, and developing targeted education for high-risk sectors.
Louis Panzer, executive director of North Carolina 811 and co-chair of CGA’s Data Reporting and Evaluation Committee, stressed the importance of better data in advancing damage prevention efforts.
“We must continue to improve our data collection processes, reduce unknown entries and leverage tools like the DIRT Interactive Dashboard to gain even deeper insights into damage prevention,” he said. “As we pursue our 50-in-5 challenge, high-quality, standardized data will be the cornerstone of our efforts to enhance safety and protect underground infrastructure across the industry."
The full 2023 DIRT Report and interactive dashboard are available at the CGA website.
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