Minnesota: 2011 State Damage Prevention Program

Overview

Main Objective

The MNOPS will:

• Development and implementation of methods for effective communication
• Foster support and partnership with stakeholders
• Reviewing the adequacy of internal performance measures
• Support a Damage Prevention Education Program for industry stakeholders
• Suppot Public Awareness and Stakeholder Education
• Resolving disputes to define State authority's role; and
• Laws and regulations of the damage prevention process
• Foster and promote the use of improving technologies
• Review the effectiveness of damage prevention programs

Public Abstract

ELEMENT 1: MNOPS endeavors to continue implementation through enforcement and active participation in Regional CGA, UCCs, and GSOC operations and communications committees. Project and meet handling is a focus of MNOPS. ELEMENT 2: MNOPS desires to continue hosting the MS216D committees and subcommittees and will continue to respond to all types of interactions which enhance stakeholder support for Damage Prevention in MN ELEMENT 3: MNOPS has completed a DP protocol and has initiated specialized risk based inspections (operators with a history of poor DP performance). Further this inspection protocol has been built into the OPS system and is ready to be implemented. ELEMENT 4: The SDP grant is essential to continued implementation of all activities under this element. ELEMENT 5 Public Education: All of the activities in this element have previously been supported by the SDP grant and previously the One Call Grant. The continued implementation of this initiative is critical to the overall success of Minnesota's damage prevention efforts. ELEMENT 6: Dispute Resolution: MNOPS desires to continue these activities using the SDP grant. The MS216D Review committee has identified the existing "Hand Dig" exemption in the law as a potential for dangerous consequence. MNOPS desires to continue to pursue a resolution to this issue and has formed an open hand dig subcommittee to work on a solution. This subcommittee and the main committee will continue into 2011. ELEMENT 7: Enforcement: Not every complaint or incident is pipeline related. There is no funding mechanism that presently exists for these non-pipeline activities other than this federal grants and/or the One Call grant. MNOPS involvement in any type of DP situation, whether pipeline related or not, maintains overall DP consistency and mutual respect for all UG installations. MNOPS has implemented an O&M manual and procedures for DP will be further refined and incorporated into this manual. ELEMENT 8 Technology: MNOPS continues to make improvements to the OPS database system. Also several other state programs are in process of using the same system. MNOPS hopes that other state programs will continue to be enticed into using the SQL/VB.net based program as additional improvements and enhancements are completed. The "One Call" area of the database is an area where specific additional fields and questions can be added to this tab to better capture the root causal factors which contributed to the complaint or incident. Further the tab can be modified for easier upload into the CGA's Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT). ELEMENT 9: MNOPS has enhanced this program element by developing an additional OPS database report(s) and further developed a performance matrix for inspectors. It is referred to as the MNOPS dashboard report, see attached Updated Dashboards-2009.PDF. MNOPS intends to develop a formal report on GSOC's annual performance. This will be presented to the Commissioner of Public Safety and will likely be made public information in the interest of transparency.

Relevant Files & Links