CODE 6

Code 6 failure to observe the tolerance zone! This contractor was conducting extensive parking lot reconstruction as you can see from the photo. The contractor called 811 for the proper stake out, waited 48 hours for the locate to be conducted, and once the notification was received in their APR (automated positive response) the crew began work, almost before the paint dried and nearly ripped out a 4-inch plastic gas service to a school; thankfully during summer vacation. So, what is a tolerance zone? 16 NYS PART 753 which governs safe excavation in NY, provides us with this definition; Tolerance zone: If the diameter of the underground facility is known, the distance of one-half of the known diameter plus two feet, on either side of the designated center line or, if the diameter of the underground facility is not known, two feet on either side of the designated center line. You can review the code rule at the UDig NY website by clicking this link Code Rule 753.

This contractor failed to observe the tolerance zone by using mechanized equipment within 2' 2" of the gas service. No mechanized equipment can be within 2 feet of any underground utility that is marked; until the utility has been verified by hand dug test holes. There are situations in which you can, but we will save that for another edition. Had this contractor simply hand dug where the excavation intersected the mark out, it would have prevented this damage. More often than not during my damage investigations I can see that the equipment operators and spotters were hyper focused on the task at hand; however even just a little situational awareness would have helped this crew identify gas markings within feet of the excavation crossing, which would have or should have alerted them to STOP!

I can’t stress or train enough on the importance of situational awareness in damage prevention. Protecting our vital utility is crucial to the safety of our crews and communities, and its not part of the everyday “safety” culture. Everywhere you turn in the construction industry now days, its personal safety this or personal safety that. A constant barrage of idiosyncrasies; like watch out for hang nails, bees, slips, trips and falls, shoulder, back and knee injuries, wear your hard hat and your vest, remember to walk around the office and stretch every 30 minutes. I’m not trying to reduce that kind of safety, but who was saying to the excavation crew that morning that hit the gas; hey fellas let’s do a safety stand down and review what utilities we will be crossing today, and let’s make sure we hand dig the gas first thing so we don’t blow up the school or potentially injure someone or our self’s. it doesn’t happen often enough, if ever. So, let’s make damage prevention apart of the morning safety routine; as well as all the other “important” safety topics.

My passion for damage prevention has been cultivated over the last decade of my career in public utilities, and my goal with the DDOD (Dirty Diggs On Damages) is to bring heightened awareness and education to everyone in the construction industry. Stay tuned and subscribe for new and upcoming articles on everything damage prevention.