A training provider with locations in Calgary and Edmonton (as well as Hamilton, London, Mississauga, Toronto and Whitby) is offering Ground Disturbance 201 – Supervisory Ground Disturbance Training that has not been endorsed by Alberta One-Call Corporation (AOC). While a training provider can certainly offer Ground Disturbance training, specifically naming and promoting their ground disturbance training as “GD 201 Training” can mislead clients and students to believe it has been endorsed by AOC, now delivering the services of the former Alberta Common Ground Alliance since January 2021.

This change will have no impact whatsoever for the person requesting a locate of buried utilities in the vicinity of their digging project. You will continue to be provided with the same free-to-you reliable service that we’ve delivered for 38 years. For our members, you will now know precisely what your annual fee to AOC will be; and, you can choose to pay quarterly in four equal payments or in one lump sum. And when you pay your entire invoice before Feb. 28, 2022, you will receive a 2% rebate.

Alberta One-Call’s system determines which facility owners need to be notified based on the work area the excavator draws on the system map.

Facility owners registered with Alberta One-Call (AOC members) supply the locations where they need to be notified of a proposed ground disturbance. This is called member data and it is plotted on the system basemap. The dig site for each locate request is also plotted on the basemap. Whenever the mapped dig site overlaps with member data, that member company receives a locate notification.

FNCA (Facility Notification Center Association) is a trade organization governed by a board of directors with a stated mission “to evolve our industry by facilitating collaboration among One Call Notification Centres.” For Alberta One-Call, joining the newly formed FNCA aligned our organization with like-minded and progressive industry leaders where we can contribute, share and learn with our industry peers to improve the damage prevention process and save lives.

Recently, we have seen a renewed focus on underground utility strikes. Not just from facility owners but also from excavators and our contact centre staff. It is usually in June/July that we tend to receive the highest number of reports of what are known internally as “damages;” that is, reports from those in the field about either a damaged or unexpectedly discovered underground utility. Sometimes these are reported to us by the excavator themselves after they accidentally contact infrastructure resulting in a gas leak, severed telecommunications cable, or exposed electrical line. Other times, they are reported by a concerned citizen who comes across a cable sticking out of the ground in an empty field or ditch while they are out walking their dog.

"Prior to 2021, we were using Smartsheet to track Ambassador engagement but it doubled the Ambassadors’ documentation efforts,” says AOC’s Member Liaison, Kassi Zaba. “The Ambassadors were capturing written notes in the field and transposing them into our database later on. It wasn’t efficient."

"Canuck Right-of-Way Management’s stakeholder database works just like an app and they custom-designed it to suit our needs,” adds AOC President, Mike Sullivan. “They’re local to the Industrial Heartland where so much activity occurs, and they’re also active EAPUOC members. Damage prevention is more than just a job or a client, it’s a shared responsibility — and Canuck Right-of-Way Management gets that."

This year, Alberta One Call and ATCO's Natural Gas division launched a digital campaign to remind homeowners to ClickBeforeYouDig and get their locates before starting their backyard renovation projects. In less than two months, the campaign has generated more than 3 million impressions and more than 58,000 clicks on our ads! Our ads are on social media, Google search, apps and various websites.

OK, the utility owners have marked your site where you intend to dig if they have buried lines below using flags and paint. They have left you with a document as well called a Locate Slip. You are clear on how to dig safely and understand the responsibilities as a ground disturber. But, what if other things come up and you’re not actually ready to dig. How long do you have before needing refresh the request? What is the process?

Soon, the Canadian Common Ground Alliance (CCGA) will publish its annual DIRT Report (Damage Information Reporting Tool) and in it, the number of damages in Alberta will look, well, damaging! To the casual observer, damages in Alberta will appear high — too high — compared to neighbouring provinces. But rest assured, we are in good hands!

So why is damage reporting in Alberta so high? Effective ongoing public awareness and education efforts promoting the importance of DIRT reporting is a BIG factor. 67 individual companies report damages into Alberta DIRT, whereas most provinces’ submissions originate from less than a third as many companies. More reporting allows more analysis, which generates more findings and leads to pathways designed to prevent a recurrence. Alberta buried asset owners and contractors have embraced this and are doing a great job.