Damage Prevention & Safety
Ansonia Sewer Authority to Pay Cost of Sewer Collapse; Chairman Walks Out
A heated dispute over who will pay for the massive sewer pipe collapse in Ansonia, Conn., ended with the apparent resignation of city's Water Pollution Control Authority chairman after his commissioners authorized paying the bill.
Nearly 36 Miles of Pipeline Replaced after Mass. Gas Explosions
BOSTON — The utility company involved in last month’s explosions and fires in Massachusetts said it has replaced nearly 36 miles of main pipeline in the area. NiSource subsidiary Columbia Gas said it’s 80% through work replacing 45 miles of main pipeline, and about halfway through its work replacin..
Utility Worker Fatally Shot at Job Site in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police are investigating the shooting death of a utility worker at a job site. Police say 23-year-old Johnathon Porter, of Appleton City, was shot Monday morning. He was working at the construction site for InfraSource, a contractor for Spire Energy. T..
API, Union Establish Pipeline Construction Safety Training Program
The American Petroleum Institute (API) and North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) have established a Pipeline Construction Safety Training Program. This landmark program will combine the best practices of both the building trades unions and the natural gas and oil industry into a foundationa..
New York City Celebrates National Work Zone Awareness Week
New York City recently held a ceremony recognizing the importance of keeping public works and utility employees safe in honor of National Work Zone Awareness week, April 9–13. The event took place along the Grand Central Parkway in Corona, Queens. “The men and women of DEP who build and maintain t..
Sewer Worker Dies After Machine Hits Power Line; 2 Others Hurt
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — One worker was killed and two others were injured when a piece of machinery being used to repair a sewer hit an overhead power line in Pennsylvania. Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees says a 30-year-old man died Thursday after being electrocuted at a work site in Johnst..
Common Ground Alliance Seeks Data Submissions for 2017 DIRT Report
Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the stakeholder-run organization dedicated to protecting underground utility lines, people who dig near them, and their communities, today released a statement urging damage prevention stakeholders to submit data from 2017 underground excavation damages and near miss ev..
OSHA Fines Company After 2 Employees Die at Sewer Station
PETAL, Miss. (AP) – A federal workplace safety agency has fined a Mississippi business nearly $28,000 after two men died while working on a sewer lift station. The Hattiesburg American reports that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration initially proposed fines of $43,000 against Sc..
Flint-Area Worker Trapped Under Water in Trench Dies
BURTON, Mich. (AP) — Police say a 33-year-old Flint-area man has died after being trapped underwater for about 20 minutes when a water main burst during construction work. Burton Police Detective Don Schreiber tells The Flint Journal that 33-year-old Curtis Duane Hollingshead of Davisson died..
Pipeline Contractor Achieves Safety Milestone
Blackeagle Energy Services today announced the company has achieved a safety-performance milestone when it recently exceeded 2.5 million man hours without a lost-time incident. “At Blackeagle, it is an expectation to work safely,” said Mike Walker, Blackeagle’s Safety Manager. “Working 2.5 million ..
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..
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..
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..
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 ..
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