Gopher State One Call (GSOC) recently entered into a sponsoring partnership with the Gopher State’s newest national sports franchise – Minnesota United Football Club (MNUFC). The goal of this partnership is to help elevate GSOC’s public profile, and to improve Minnesotan’s safety by promoting damage prevention awareness.
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 hazardous liquids. Many of which are in rural portions of the State.
Olivia Jensen, Gopher State One Call’s new Marketing and Public Awareness Specialist, plays a critical role in spreading damage prevention awareness across Minnesota. In her new role at GSOC, Olivia is responsible for:
We will be taking calls for emergency locates only on Thursday, July 4th for Independence Day, but remember, you can file a ticket online 24/7. NOTE: Thursday will not count towards your standard 48 hour notice when filing a locate, so please plan accordingly.
Every year the Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety holds an educational conference for industry professionals. This networking event is intended for pipeline operators, underground utility technicians and damage prevention specialists. During the two-and-a-half-day event, industry professionals learn about about new products, services and updated regulations. One of the more colorful aspects of this conference is the Utility Locate Rodeo.
Utility locators are a vital but often overlooked part of America’s infrastructure apparatus and the 811 process. They employ a highly-specialized skill set. Their job is difficult, dangerous, and the consequences of sloppy workmanship can be catastrophic. Without their bright paint and pin flags present at a worksite, excavators would have no way of knowing where it is safe to dig. They are essential in keeping our neighborhoods safe and the utilities that power our lives and businesses flowing uninterrupted.
