Page 3 - AR811 2022 issue 4

Publisher’s Perspective
2022 marked the 15th anniversary of 811 Magazines and the Damage Prevention Summits. I’m grateful for the opportunity given to our team in 2007 first by Mississippi 811 as they were looking to strengthen their dig law. The partnership paid dividends and soon after other
811 centers followed and for a variety of reasons. It’s not always about enforcement, but it is always about relationships. Relationships
lead to more effective communication and that leads to better understanding of the other side. In a nutshell, damage prevention depends on that understanding.
It is remarkable how many moving parts there are to effective damage prevention. It is regulation, but not just regulation. It certainly is
dig safely, but not just dig safely. It would be good for us to bring folks to the table to discuss the height, depth and breadth of damage prevention, instead of believing that it can be solved by hiring more locators, limiting the size or number of tickets called in or increasing the amount of fines levied for violating the law.
A Mayor friend of mine once told me after listening to a coffee shop full of folks solving world problems, “Beware of anyone who can solve world peace in 10 minutes. There’s obviously a disconnect between their understanding and the details of the problem.” I expect he was right.
The Arkansas Damage Prevention Summit has been rescheduled for February beginning in 2023. It will return to Little Rock and back to the Embassy Suites. The 2023 Summit will be February 20 – 22, 2023. New session ideas and new presenters will be included. In addition, presenters include the Arkansas PSC, Arkansas 811, OSHA and PHMSA. At the end of the day, it is about trying to engage stakeholders to bring their ideas to the table in a judgment-free zone to start the conversation about effective damage prevention in Arkansas.
Will it work in Arkansas? It can. I know it can because surrounding states have implemented stronger dig laws within their states and progress is being made. But they had to do something that they’d never done before to make it happen. They had to work together on a different plane. They had to trust one another.
Take advantage of the opportunity to attend the Summit and be courageous enough to share your ideas. At a minimum, let’s begin identifying the list of issues that the status quo has failed us and begin the discussion about what has to change for it to work. Maybe the change begins with us.
Nah... probably not. I’m sure it’s somebody else’s fault. They (whoever they are) need to change. At least that’s what I routinely hear when listening to a colossal failure of a program.
Let me again invite you to the 2023 Arkansas Damage Prevention Summit and this time, let’s engage in the conversation of success rather than frustration and blame. At the 2023 Summit, we’ll have an attendee-led session that seeks to drive change rather than just point out what’s not working and who’s at fault. Can we do that? I don’t know if it’s possible... I only know it’s necessary!
Registration is now open... See you there!
Roger Cox President ACTS Now, Inc.
2022, Issue 4
Arkansas 811 Magazine • 1