On May 17, 2002, RSPA issued the following advisory notice to operators of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines to remind them of the importance of safe excavation practices. It makes reference to The Common Ground Study, which can be viewed on line at www.commongroundalliance.com.
Advisory Bulletin (ADB-02-01)
To: Owners and Operators of Natural Gas and Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Systems
Subject: Notification to Stress the Importance of Safe Excavation Practices
Advisory: The arrival of warmer weather coincides with a significant increase in construction activity both by professional excavators and home owners and renters. To protect excavators and private citizens from injury and to guard the integrity of buried pipelines and other underground facilities, OPS reminds all concerned to implement the best practices of the Common Ground Study and the four steps of the Dig Safely Campaign.
- Call Before You Dig
- Wait the Required Time in Your State for Operators to Mark Their Facilities
- Observe Marks Indicating the Presence of Facilities When You Dig
- Dig With Care-protect both yourself and the facilities where you are digging.
We ask pipeline operators to undertake the following steps as part of their damage prevention efforts:
- increasing their vigilance on right-of-way inspections;
- reviewing their own procedures for following up on locate requests;
- ensuring that operator employees and contract employees follow Best Practices; and
- increasing outreach efforts to the excavator community during the spring season.