Damage Prevention & Safety
Authorities ID Victims in Western Michigan Trench Collapse
WYOMING, Mich. (AP) — Authorities have identified the man killed in a trench collapse in western Michigan and say the man who was rescued was his father. Wyoming firefighters said Tuesday the collapse killed 30-year-old Christopher James Godfrey, who was completely buried by dirt. Firefighters res..
1 Worker Dead, Another Rescued After Trench Collapse
WYOMING, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a trench collapse in western Michigan has left one worker dead and one rescued. Wyoming Fire Chief Chuck Lark said firefighters were called about 2 p.m. Monday to a residence where the collapse occurred. He tells The Grand Rapids Press that when they arrived, o..
In Allo’s Rapid Digging, Lincoln Encounters Growing Pains
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Allo’s massive digging operation has unearthed a series of public safety and business challenges in Lincoln as its crews hustle to provide high-speed internet citywide. Predictably, contractors installing Allo’s fiber-optic cable have been the main contributors to a surge in th..
Water District Recognized for Commitment to Safety
Illinois American Water has announced the company’s Cairo District has gone 18 years without experiencing any lost-time accidents. According to Michael Brown, Illinois American Water Cairo District’s Operations Superintendent, ensuring employees complete every job safely requires a daily commitment..
Illinois American Water's Pekin District Celebrates 7 Years of Safety Excellence
Illinois American Water announced the Pekin District has gone over 7 years without experiencing any lost-time accidents. “Safety is on our minds every minute of every day,” Cord Crisler, Illinois American Water’s Operations Superintendent, said “There is nothing more important than ensuring our emp..
Cross Bore Analysis Review of Best Practices And Changing Trenchless Market
Since the first cross bore discovery in Kenosha, WI, in 1976, investor-owned utilities and municipalities have completed substantial research and discovery into cross bore prevention, trenchless construction innovation and safety awareness. As trenchless technology has improved, the ability of the c..
GLTA Announces Annual Meeting Plans
The Great Lakes Trenchless Association (GLTA) is partnering with MISS DIG 811 for the 2018 Annual Membership Meeting, Conference & Expo on March 15 – 16. The event will be held at the Soaring Eagle Casino, Resort & Waterpark in Mt. Pleasant, MI. This convention will consist of four educational sess..
Utilities to Conduct Storm Restoration Drill to Help Prepare Employees for Real-Life Events
Ohio Edison and Pennsylvania Power, subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp., have announced they will conduct a training drill this week to test the companies’ storm restoration process for when severe weather causes wide-spread power outages in the region. Designed to train employees assigned to storm o..
OSHA Cites South Dakota Company After Worker Buried in Trench Collapse
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited First Dakota Enterprises Inc., for failing to protect its workers from trench collapse hazards. The Fort Pierre-based company faces proposed penalties of $95,064. On May 23, 2017, a 34-year-old worker was ..
New DIRT Report Estimates Damage to Buried Utilities Cost Society at Least $1.5 Billion in 2016
The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) today announced findings from its comprehensive 2016 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report. The report, which is the sum of all 2016 data submitted anonymously and voluntarily by facility operators, utility locating companies, one call centers,..
Dominion Energy Ohio Reminds People to Call 811 Before Digging
In honor of National Safe Digging Day tomorrow, Aug. 11, Dominion Energy Ohio today announced a reminder that Ohio law requires property owners and contractors to call 8-1-1 — to have underground utility lines marked — at least two business days, but no more than 10 business days, prior to any diggi..
Utility Stresses Calling 811 Before Digging
In honor of National Safe Digging Day on Friday, August 11, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is asking all Californians to help prevent damage to gas pipelines and other underground utilities. With a free call to 811 or submission on 811express.com at least two working days ahead of any diggi..
Dangers Of Using Damaged Jetter Hose
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Illinois American Water’s Lincoln District Celebrates Safety Milestone
llinois American Water’s Lincoln District today announced it has gone nine years without experiencing any lost-time accidents. Illinois American Water employees work around the clock to provide an essential service critical for daily life, public health and fire protection. The work performed can i..
PG&E Survey Finds Call 811 Underutilized in California
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced findings from a recent survey of 1,750 of its customers that shows 811 – the free service to mark underground utility lines – is well-known but misunderstood and underused in Northern and Central California. Common misconceptions among custome..
3 Magic Numbers For Underground Construction, Maintenance
Take a moment and flip back to read the title of this magazine. It’s Underground Construction, and deals with – well, underground construction. Water, sewer, gas, telecom and electric; that pretty much covers all the bases. It also covers a lot of miles. According to the Common Ground Alliance, ther..
Illinois American Water’s Cairo District Earns National Safety Award for a Second Time
Illinois American Water’s Cairo District received the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Wendell R. LaDue Utility Safety Award for excellence in safety. The award recognizes distinguished safety programs by water utilities and requires excellent safety records for five consecutive years, as wel..
Man Killed While Working on Maryland Water Utility Project
OXON HILL, Md. (AP) – A man working on a water main replacement project in Maryland has died in an apparent trench collapse. Police in Prince George’s County said Wednesday on Twitter that the man was killed while performing utility work and that they do not suspect foul play. The Washington Suburb..
PLCA Asks for Short-Haul Exemption from ELD Mandate
The Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA) has requested a short-haul exemption from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s electronic logging device mandate set to take effect on Dec. 18 for all pipeline contractor vehicle drivers. According to the PLCA, drivers mostly utilize the sho..
Authorities ID Man Killed in Pipe Cleaning Accident
BROWNSVILLE, Wis. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a 20-year-old man killed in an industrial accident in Brownsville. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office identifies the victim as Treston Isham of Fond du Lac. Authorities say Isham was cleaning pipes at utility contractor Michels Corp. wh..
Water Utility Nears Safety Milestone
Mesa Water District has announced it is approaching four years without a lost time accident due to a robust environmental health and safety program that has helped the district achieve a “gold standard” of safety performance. Mesa Water’s overall safety rating improved 15 percent between 2014 and 2..
Autopsy: Asphyxia From Gas Cause of Man's Death in Sewer Pit
DECATUR, Ind. (AP) — An autopsy has determined that a 40-year-old Indiana man died of asphyxia from toxic gas while working in a sewer pit at a Decatur meat shop. The Adams County coroner on Thursday identified the victim as Justin Manley of Decatur. Another man, Mark Manley, was in critical ..
3 Workers Rescued in Wisconsin Trench Collapse
CUBA CITY, Wis. (AP) – Authorities say three workers have been rescued after being trapped when a trench caved in near Cuba City. Lafayette County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Troy Loeffelholz tells WKOW-TV (http://bit.ly/2tpxs6W ) one worker became trapped Tuesday when one of the walls of the eight-foot..
Steam Pipe Explosion Buckles Street in Downtown Baltimore
BALTIMORE (AP) — An underground steam pipe explosion rocked downtown Baltimore during Tuesday afternoon’s rush hour, buckling the street, shattering windows on cars and buildings, and gushing a plume several stories high for more than an hour, authorities said. Five people suffered injuries that ..
Utility Earns National Safety Award
For the second straight year, Florida Public Utilities Company, a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, has received a Safety Achievement Award from the American Gas Association for excellence in employee safety. The selection was based on criteria that included professional and person..
Rice Electronics Launches Connected Worker Solution
Rice Electronics has launched the Connected Worker Solution with Intel® IoT technology. Designed to improve the safety and productivity of field workers in industrial environments, the end-to-end IoT solution using Rice Electronics smart devices along with Intel-based IoT gateways provides robust co..
OSHA Announces Inaugural ‘Safe + Sound Week’
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has designated June 12-18, 2017, as “Safe + Sound Week,” a new nationwide effort that calls on organizations of all sizes in a wide range of industries to raise awareness of the value and importance of workplace safety and ..
Pipeline Developer Under Investigation for Alleged Construction Violations
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, which is expected to begin shipping oil to contractors on Thursday, will face scrutiny later this summer over whether it violated North Dakota rules during construction. North Dakota’s Public Service Commission is looking ..
OSHA Probing Trench Collapse that Put Man in Hospital
EMERY, S.D. (AP) — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating a trench collapse in Emery that put a man in the hospital. Area Director Sheila Stanley tells the Daily Republic (http://bit.ly/2qjshb1) that an OSHA crew was on the scene Thursday. The inquiry comes after a Tues..
Man Buried Alive in Trench Collapse, Saved by Co-workers
EMERY, S.D. (AP) – Authorities say quick intervention by his co-workers likely saved a man buried when a water-sewer trench collapsed in Emery. Fire Chief Brian Leitheiser says that except for the man’s hand, the construction worker was completely covered in dirt Tuesday. He was on a crew from a Fo..
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