FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KorTerra and KorPartners Utilize Common Ground Alliance Annual DIRT Report
Minneapolis, MN – October 26th, 2011 – KorTerra’s commitment to the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) spans across multiple channels that the company actively participates in. CGA hosts a national conference annually, steering committees quarterly and regional CGA events across the United States. KorTerra stays connected to important industry issues by attending these events throughout the year. KorTerra’s sister company, KorPartners, which operates One Call Centers, also actively contributes to the CGA by providing One Call data for the DIRT report.
What is the DIRT report? Since 2004, the CGA has been collecting damage prevention data regarding damages, near misses and service outages on a nationwide scale. With this data, an annual damage prevention report is created to facilitate improvements in safety and damage prevention efforts. This annual report, provided by the CGA, is called the DIRT report (Damage Information Reporting Tool).
As additional years of data are collected, trends are monitored and new recommendations are given. The results and analysis in this report can be used to develop educational programs and best practices aiming to reduce future damages. Readers of the DIRT report are encouraged to utilize their own experiences and knowledge when interpreting the data and applying it to damage prevention efforts.
Industry stakeholders throughout the U.S. voluntarily and anonymously provide the data for analysis in this report. Stakeholder organizations include: electric, engineering, excavator, liquid pipeline, locator, natural gas, private water, public works, railroad, regulators, road-builders, telecommunications and One Call Centers.
The 2010 DIRT report focuses on the data gathered throughout the United States and Canada over the last four years, from 2007 to 2010. In the 2010 report, there is a “Recommendations Based on Analysis” page that summarizes the knowledge gained from the information provided in the report. Here is a listing of those recommendations:
2010 DIRT Recommendations Based on Analysis
1. Increase one call requests by small fencing, irrigation, and landscaping contractors. Review one-time or occasional users to ensure they are calling every time they excavate and not just occasionally.
2. Provide reminders and sufficient training to locating professionals. Benchmark good practices, and visit locating professional trade associations to speak to them or have discussions about such practices.
3. Develop and distribute educational material regarding safe excavation practices (e.g., soft excavation and/or hand digging when the mechanical equipment is close to a facility and/or targeting water/sewer contractors working with municipalities).
4. Encourage the incorporation of obtaining a one call ticket into the permitting/contract process.
5. Encourage one call centers to submit complete data including total incoming ticket requests to CGA through the OCSI data tool.
6. Use damage rate as a data reporting benchmark.
7. Improve data quality submitted into DIRT (e.g., complete more fields within the tool and collect more data from the jobsite).
8. Use the DIRT report data and indicators to formulate your own particular programs rather than using the report as a static document.
© 2011, Common Ground Alliance, all rights reserved.
To view the full 2010 DIRT report, or any of the previous DIRT reports, please visit: http://www.damagereporting.org/annual.
About KorTerra, Inc.
Since 1990, KorTerra has been the damage prevention industry’s most trusted partner in providing quality and comprehensive One Call ticket management software solutions. KorTerra works with Pipeline Companies, Utilities, Municipalities, Contract Locators, and One Call Centers to help them operate as efficiently as possible through the use of our industry-leading technology, while cutting costs by eliminating unnecessary manual processes. KorTerra’s unique position of collaborating directly with these companies in the damage prevention industry has allowed us to build a compilation of industry-wide knowledge and best practices that few companies possess. KorTerra's current One Call ticket management operations process over 25,000,000 tickets annually. In addition to One Call ticket management software, KorTerra provides process consulting and software training services to ensure operations are streamlined and functional throughout all areas of an organization. To learn more about KorTerra, please visit www.korterra.com, or contact via telephone at 952.368.1911.
For additional information contact:
Press Contact(s):
Aimee Wendland, Marketing Manager
KorTerra, Inc.
18946 Lake Drive East
Chanhassen, MN 55317
Tel: 952.368.1911 ext. 3157
Fax: 952.697.3141
Email: marketing@korterra.com
