Damage photos

**Goldenboy** · May 14th, 2008, 10:28 AM

I know this is an old one. When I get a chance I'll upload some newer ones. I just wanted to get this thread going again.

I don't think these guys were handdigging to expose the main. This was a 4 inch main.

**yahoo** · May 14th, 2008, 08:34 PM

that guy is in the hole saying.........................hey i think i see something yellow down here.......hahahhahahhahah

**beyond help** · May 15th, 2008, 01:36 AM

I thought it was deeper

, wait, this isn't supposed to be here, my prints show it on the other side

, I didn't see the marks (i had just marked it, but the damn jackass bulldozed them).

**underground quester** · May 30th, 2008, 04:06 AM

A TRACKHOE. Best damned piece of locating equipment in the business! UNFORTUNATELY!!!

**Goldenboy** · June 23rd, 2008, 05:50 PM

Don't these water main crews every learn that finding the gas service with a four foot bucket is a bad idea.

**GWJ_CAS** · June 23rd, 2008, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by Goldenboy

Don't these water main crews every learn that finding the gas service with a four foot bucket is a bad idea.

I see the white stake for the proposed excavation, and the blue flag for the water service, but no yellow paint or flags for the gas service...was it marked?

**Goldenboy** · June 23rd, 2008, 06:39 PM

Yes it was marked. The white paint is actually circling the yellow marks for the gas and the white flag is a damage flag for reference. I also have close up pictures showing the yellow marks circled with white paint. Their ticket was about three weeks old and all the flags were pulled by the local kids. The crew said they knew it was there but were trying to undermine it with the bucket and caught it first. No potholing by these water crews out here.

It's hard to see in this picture but there is also a yellow hard mark in the sidewalk right in front of the concrete saw.

**GWJ_CAS** · June 23rd, 2008, 07:12 PM

Have you ever seen the Rhino "Hit Kit"?

All of our lead locators and supervisors have one for damage investigations. Makes a nice graphic representation of the location of the marks vs. the facility location and if the facility was marked within tolerance.

http://www.repnetinc.com/Product_Pag...ct_HIT_kit.php

**GWJ_CAS** · June 23rd, 2008, 07:14 PM

Do you guys report damages to the Damage Investigation Reporting Tool (DIRT)?

www.cga-dirt.com

**yahoo** · June 23rd, 2008, 07:24 PM

i didn't know they had such thing as a rhino kit........we use nothing like that down this way..but just the usual stuff camera a pull string and a tape measure...

**UULC** · June 23rd, 2008, 07:55 PM

I have been using these hit kits for over a year. They are awesome. When you have very little paint on the ground, this helps you identify the marks. They have saved us several times. I bought these out of my pocket and only paid $100.00 for 1-red and 1-orange. I wish I would have thought of them. I will take pictures and upload them.

**Goldenboy** · June 23rd, 2008, 08:03 PM

I had never heard of the hit kits. I wouldn't buy them out of pocket but will pass the link on to our quality department.

I don't think we report our damages to DIRT. We might but I never heard of them but who knows maybe corporate reports them.

**sprayandpray** · June 23rd, 2008, 09:26 PM

Originally Posted by GWJ_CAS

Have you ever seen the Rhino "Hit Kit"?

All of our lead locators and supervisors have one for damage investigations. Makes a nice graphic representation of the location of the marks vs. the facility location and if the facility was marked within tolerance.

http://www.repnetinc.com/Product_Pag...ct_HIT_kit.php

Sawmy 1st one this last week - don't have one though.

**LadyLeatherneck** · June 24th, 2008, 07:42 AM

1. Supervisor: "Yeah, but can you prove your marks were there? At fault damage. Let's call a meeting and make you stand up in front of everyone and tell them what happened. Oh, and I'm writing you up. Next time you'll go home without pay for 3 days!"

2. Rhino Kits? We would have to pay for them ourselves - we have to buy our own maps, our own shovels. Used to be the company provided those things for the locator to do his/her job. What happened?

**GWJ_CAS** · June 24th, 2008, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by LocatingLarry

1. Supervisor: "Yeah, but can you prove your marks were there? At fault damage. Let's call a meeting and make you stand up in front of everyone and tell them what happened. Oh, and I'm writing you up. Next time you'll go home without pay for 3 days!"

2. Rhino Kits? We would have to pay for them ourselves - we have to buy our own maps, our own shovels. Used to be the company provided those things for the locator to do his/her job. What happened?

Thankfully, we do not have to ask our locators if they can prove their marks were there...they are attached directly to the ticket in out ticket management system (viewable instantly after upload), that is if the locator took them...and our policy is that we take photos of all locates, ALL...and lots of photos. If you did not follow policy and failed to take photos you are subject to some level of disciplinary action. If that failure results in a chargeable damage, well you may be going home for a spell...

Like it or not, the litigous nature of our society dictates that policies and actions like these are necessary. We provide all the tools the locator needs to perform his job in accordance with statutes and policies. We provide the truck, the laptop, the maps, the locate instruments, the GPR systems, the cameras, the batteries, the cables, the connectors, the training, the training, the training, the re-training...We balance ticket loads and our supervisory folks have paint on their boots. Even our state manager locates when ticket loads need attention...

We pay our guys a very competitive wage and pay 100% of their medical and life insurance premiums, provide a matching Simple IRA that we contribute an amount equal to 4% of the locators salary, provide 168 hours per year of flexible paid time off and we pay real bonuses...so, if they cannot follow policy and do the job they are paid for, then there are consequences...