I'm sure many of you remember the iconic Nokia 3310, even if not by name. It was one of Nokia's earliest cell phone models that didn't feature a "stubby" external antenna. They were fairly rugged and blemishes could be easily masked by "stylish," interchangeable covers that took over mall-aisle kiosks across the U.S. That particular Nokia model was released in 2000, two years prior to Nokia launching its first built-in camera model. Since then, cell phone cameras have made household digital cameras almost entirely obsolete, superseding them in value, quality and convenience. Strange that it seems like so long ago, yet when someone talks about the 90s, so many of us still mentally relate that to being "10 years ago."
Now, consider that the Common Ground Alliance was also established in 2000... before cell phones had cameras. The concept of underground utility damage prevention is now deeply rooted in our industry, but have best practices kept pace with the evolution of infrastructure?
Let's circle back around to that old Nokia... is that the phone that you carry and trust today? I mean, you could play snake, but you definitely couldn't use Google Image to take a picture of and identify an actual snake in real-time, like you can with modern smart phones.
Likewise, if your excavation safety plan does not:
- Account for the innumerable changes to underground infrastructure over the past 20 years
- Distinguish between best practices to protect both Public AND Private utilities
- Address proactive damage prevention technologies
... it's pretty much the equivalent of carrying a Nokia.
The most dangerous phrase in modern business is, "...this is how we've always done it." Modern problems truly require modern solutions. Underground utility damage prevention is no different. Mason Private Locating understands the complexity of modern infrastructure. We invest in experienced technicians and state-of-the-art technologies to locate, identify, mark, map and even safely expose utilities on your job sites.
Private Utilities account for approximately 65% of modern underground infrastructure - 0% of which are marked by 811. Don't get caught in the education gap: know enough to protect yourself, your crews, your customers and your communities! From the #TeamMPL Call Center to our Project Managers and Vice Presidents, someone always has the time to talk you through your liability and how you can mitigate risk on your projects: (888) 316-3933
