NM 2016 State Damage Prevention Program

Overview

Main Objective

This grant will help fund personnel, fringe benefits, and travel for the Pipeline Safety Bureau Damage Prevention Program (PSB) and allow for effective enforcement of the State excavation law and regulations. The PSB currently has three full time investigators that this grant will fund a portion for. The PSB investigates all excavation damages, excavation and one-call complaints and initiates enforcement actions when deemed appropriate. The PSB also provides state-wide training opportunity for excavators, underground facility owners, one-call members and others involved with planning excavation activities. The PSB will continue to enforce the new white-lining requirement upon the excavating community within incorporated areas or when necessary in non-incorporated areas. No tolerance enforcement actions have now been expanded to include excavators that don't call 811, underground facility owners that don't mark the horizontal location within the 2 working day period, and any willful violations. The PSB will continue to educate and effectively enforce regulations upon those underground facility owners who fail to locate underground facilities or don't locate within 18" and excavators who don't respect the 18" tolerance zone prior to exposing an underground utility.

Public Abstract

Under the terms of this grant agreement, the Recipient will address the following applicable elements listed in the approved application, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. §60134 (a),(b).

• Element 1 (Effective Communications): Participation by operators, excavators, and other stakeholders in the development and implementation of methods for establishing and maintaining effective communications between stakeholders from receipt of an excavation notification until successful completion of the excavation, as appropriate.
• Element 2 (Comprehensive Stakeholder Support): A process for fostering and ensuring the support and partnership of stakeholders, including excavators, operators, locators, designers, and local government in all phases of the program.
• Element 4 (Effective Employee Training): Participation by operators, excavators, and other stakeholders in the development and implementation of effective employee training programs to ensure that operators, the one-call center, the enforcing agency, and the excavators have partnered to design and implement training for the employees of operators, excavators, and locators.
• Element 5 (Public Education): A process for fostering and ensuring active participation by all stakeholders in public education for damage prevention activities.
• Element 6 (Dispute Resolution): A process for resolving disputes that defines the State authority's role as a partner and facilitator to resolve issues.
• Element 7 (Enforcement): Enforcement of State damage prevention laws and regulations for all aspects of the damage prevention process, including public education, and the use of civil penalties for violations assessable by the appropriate State authority.

Relevant Files & Links