Page 3 - Arkansas 811 Magazine 2022 Issue 2

Publisher’s Perspective
It’s always busy on roadways and right-of-ways. This industry has been involved in pushing and shoving for so long, it almost seems there are no other options. However, right-thinking and forward-thinking folks know better. It’s not can we do better, but it’s how can we do better?
When the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was passed not so very long ago, it was projected that at a minimum over the next five years, there would be $4.5 billion in funding projects for Arkansas alone. This included projects for water, highways, bridges and broadband.
If we can’t staff up to keep up with the work that’s going on today, what’s the plan for the next five years? Where are we going to get the people? Who’s going to train them and how long is it going to take to get up to speed?
Are we really just going to keep on doing what we’re doing today? Ending up with unnecessary damages, frustrations and being subjected to service disruptions and finger-pointing? Surely not! We’re better than that...
Just a short time back, a group identified as the Infrastructure Protection Coalition (IPC) that included both the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) and NULCA – representing utility locating professionals, commissioned an independent review of the nation’s 811 processes including an in-depth examination of how well it works in every state.
The study shows that unnecessary costs and increased risk to public safety could be substantially reduced if states with the worst records adopted more effective practices and procedures already in use in other parts of the country. As you might expect, stakeholders, including utility and other asset owner/operators, locators, 811 system operators, and excavators, have strong opinions as to what needs to be changed first.
In this issue, we’ve shared the national overview and recommendations from that report, and in the next issue, we’ll share what the conclusions were for Arkansas. Whether you agree with the study or not, it is a place to start the conversation of how to get better.
Additionally, at the Arkansas Damage Prevention Summit, scheduled for August 1 – 3, 2022 at the Embassy Suites in Rogers, there are sessions highlighting the recommendations for Arkansas as well as other topics like “What will the Infrastructure Bill do for Arkansas over the next five years”, “A projection for the availability of marking paint”, “PHMSA’s expectations for Arkansas going forward”, “OHSA’s top 10 construction violations and the latest Arkansas 811 update.” These are but a few of the topics lined up this year.
If you want to be in the loop on these and other relevant topics, we look forward to seeing you there. To learn more about workshops and other sessions scheduled for you, go to www.arkansas.damagepreventionsummit.com and consider joining in the conversation.
We thank the advertisers who make it possible for the 811 Magazine to be delivered to you each quarter. We are grateful for those of you who have taken the time to provide feedback to us about the topics covered.
Technology is being developed at a furious pace, all designed to create a safer workspace while helping us be more productive. What we’ve learned, in spite of the advances made outside of our heads, if we don’t make up our minds to work safely and learn to work together, everything else is just stuff we’ve got to do.
Someone told me the other day. “Well, I’ll tell you one thing!” ... Ever notice that when somebody says they’re going to tell you one thing, they never do! Anyway... he said, “Well, I’ll tell you one thing... what you’re talking about here is simply not possible.”
“Well,” says I, “the states around us (who did it) must not have known it wasn’t possible.”
Dig safely!
Roger Cox President ACTS Now, Inc.
2022, Issue 2
Arkansas 811 Magazine • 1