By Scott Landes

Every 60 seconds, an underground utility is hit or damaged. The consequences can range from a minor headache to the loss of 911 and other vital services and, in extreme cases, loss of life. When these scenarios do occur, damage claims and lawsuits can develop.

When a facility incident happens, how can you determine what led to the incident and why? And what can be done in the future to prevent similar accidents? The Common Ground Alliance (CGA), a member-driven organization dedicated to damage prevention and underground safety, offers a means to help answer these and other questions.

What is DIRT?
The Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) is a free online tool to help improve damage prevention through collection and analysis of underground facility event data on a national basis. The ultimate goal is to identify the root cause of facility events, and eventually reduce their number. Reducing underground damages helps ensure worker and public safety; protects property and the environment; reduces construction downtime; and prevents costly service outages.

DIRT (www.cga-dirt.com ) is used strictly to report facility events. The CGA defines a facility event as facility damage, a near-miss or excavator downtime. A near-miss is defined as a facility event where underground facility damage did not occur, but where a clear potential for damage was identified.

The CGA urges all parties involved in excavation and underground work to collect damage and other underground facility event data and report it via DIRT. This includes excavators and facility owners. Facility events may be entered anonymously and at no charge. The information is added to the national clearinghouse of data that is analyzed annually by the CGA DIRT Committee. Data collected is not used for regulatory enforcement purposes or to determine liability. Identities of the involved parties are kept confidential.