Category: Best Practices
-
Damage Prevention Case Studies – Mark Entire Lot and White Markings
By Gopher State One Call The Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety invites you to view a virtual damage prevention presentation with a case study for excavators and other interested stakeholders.
-
Positive Response: An Interview with Kim Boyd
“Have the facilities been marked?” “Does the locator need to meet with the contractor or are there no facilities in the proposed area of excavation?” Positive response automatically closes the communication loop and answers these questions (and more) on a locate request. We asked Gopher State One Call’s general manager Kim Boyd a few questions…
-
When Should I Use a Meet Ticket?
With snowfall, frost and routine melts paired with early spring rain, keeping locate marks fresh during the coming months means filing multiple remark requests just to complete one project—or does it? We’d like to inform you that there’s actually an easier way and one that uses locating resources more efficiently.
-
How to Submit Precise Marking Instructions on Your Ticket and Mark the Excavation Area in White
Gopher State One Call wants you to have a safe and successful excavation process. Providing precise marking instructions is a critical step to ensuring a smooth locate by assisting the locator to work more efficiently and effectively. After providing the general location of a proposed excavation via the address or corresponding driving directions, you’ll be…
-
‘Learn From the Unexpected’ with Gopher State One Call
Back on December 6, we hinted at a new social media campaign we were working on with our Chief Operations Officer, Barb Cederberg. We’re proud to announce our latest project: Learn From the Unexpected. What is Learn From the Unexpected? It’s a Facebook campaign that invites members of the excavation community to share stories so…
-
Watch Digging Dangers 29: Good Intentions
On July 10, 2018, the town of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin changed forever. A mismarked gas main ruptured during a 5G fiberoptic cable installation which caused a massive explosion on the town’s Main Street. Fire Captain Cory Barr was killed, multiple businesses were destroyed and dozens of families lost their homes. In the twenty-ninth edition of…
-
Safe Farm Excavation
Gopher State One Call – Connecting Minnesota for Safe Digging. Excavation on the farm can be dangerous work. Hitting or damaging an underground gas or electric line can lead to potentially fatal results along with loss of property such as equipment and buildings. There are over 68,000 miles of pipelines in Minnesota carrying gas and…
-
CenturyLink Q&A provided to GSOC
Many excavators have been affected by CenturyLink Inc.’s transition to a new locating company to mark the location of CenturyLink underground facilities in Minnesota as of April 1, 2019. CenturyLink has provided Gopher State One Call with the following list of questions and answers from an excavator’s forum teleconference hosted by CenturyLink on May 6,…
-
Be on the Lookout for Private Facilities
Private underground facilities, also called customer-owned facilities, may be found anywhere, including your excavation site. Chapter 216D requires operators of lines buried in the public right-of-way to register with Gopher State One Call (GSOC), so these lines will be marked as the result of a locate request. Privately-owned facilities, like utility lines that serve heaters…
-
National Safe Digging Month & Spring Safe Digging Reminders
Photo Credit: call811.com Spring is here, and with it comes the busy excavation season! That’s why April is National Safe Digging Month (NSDM), an entire month dedicated to educating the public about excavation safety. During NSDM, the underground damage prevention industry focuses on reminding the public about the important role they play in protecting the…