Why Do We Need Ground Disturbance Standards?

Some days it seems like we live in a world restricted by “more” standards, rules, regulations. Why?

Standards sometimes get a bad reputation as we never think of how they help us or society as a whole. Rather, we feel they make life harder. Although we may feel this way, it should be recognized that standards actually make life easier and provide multiple benefits to everyone from the worker to the regulator, the equipment manufacturer to the operator, the buried facility owner to the digging community. 

What Is a Standard?

In essence, a standard is an agreed way of doing something that reflects the distilled wisdom and experience of people with expertise in their subject matter and who know and understand the needs of the organizations they represent.

In the case of the Ground Disturbance standard, you would find the expertise of buried facility owners, Notification/One Call Centres, digging contractors, regulators, and other industry stakeholders i.e. line locators, manufacturers, trade associations, users.

Why are Standards Important?

A standard can be thought of as an agreed-upon norm used by people, industry, and government that outlines the best way to complete a task – whether it’s about developing a product, providing a service, controlling a process, the competency required to complete the task, or interacting with the world.

How Do They Help Us?

A standard provides a reliable basis for people to share the same expectations. This helps to:

Create reliable and repeatable processes that are proven successful, so that we learn as whole versus everyone making the same mistake.

Create alignment within the industry on operational expectations; reducing differences between companies and industries. For example, it creates a common language: What actually is a ground disturbance? How to risk manage the potential for damage; and, What to do if you damage a buried utility.

Provide a baseline expectation for “how” the job is performed creating the ability to recognize out of scope, and provides ease in performance measurement. For example, if the limitations of the excavation are marked, it’s easier for everyone, from the worker to the backhoe operator, supervisor and inspector, to see if the proposed excavation is outside the limits of the dig site.

Provide a framework for achieving economies, efficiencies and interoperability between companies, industries, and government agencies. It’s as simple as a contractor not having to change from one company to the other, which training program is required, or what to locate or when to hand expose.

Instill trust in the industry from regulators to the general public, as we are executing to a known standard.

Create portability of personnel between companies, and an industry-accepted credential for employment purposes.

Enhance worker protection and confidence.

You use Standards Every Day – You Just Don’t Think About It

You spend the day using your “smart” phone, that connects to your job, provides your work email and your home calendar, checks your blood pressure (darn work), counts your steps, allows you to browse the internet.

The moment the day starts until it ends, (and actually every moment in between), you’ve interacted and used hundreds of standards (and that’s just your phone) – but you don’t even think about it, which is a great thing, and that’s why standards exist – to make your life easier!

Remember, safety standards like the Ground Disturbance 201 standard are similar to OHS laws and regulations; they are written in the blood of those that have been injured, or worse, performing the task.

Not only do standards make it easier, and safer, ultimately they save lives!

Author Debbie Shelley, CRSP, CEO GLOBAL TRAINING CENTRE

For additional information on Standards administered by Alberta One-Call Corporation’s Training Standards Committee (TSC), please contact TSCadmin@albertaonecall.com. If you are interested in learning more about the damage prevention stakeholder committees administered by Alberta One-Call, please email info@albertaonecall.com.