Slashdot Mirror
The Backhoe, The Internet's Natural Enemy
Juha-Matti Laurio writes "Experts say last week's Sprint outage is a reminder that with all the attention paid to computer viruses and the latest Windows security holes, the most vulnerable threads in America's critical infrastructures lie literally beneath our feet. A study issued last month by the Common Ground Alliance, or CGA -- an industry group comprised of utilities and construction companies -- calculated that there were more than 675,000 excavation accidents in 2004 in which underground cables or pipelines were damaged." I estimate that one third of those accidents occured within the 5 block radius surrounding my office.
And if you'd read TFA, you'd see that the contracter did call. They were given the go-ahead to dig.
This guy's the limit!
In California we are required to notify USA DigAlert before all excavation. DigAlert then notifies all agencies with pipe in the area. Most of the time, they come out and mark, the other times, nobody does.
When nobody comes out an marks, and their line gets hit, it's on them. If it's marked and we hit it, it's on us. Accidents happen. Digging around mismarked and unmarked utilities in a big hole in the ground isn't easy.
Personally I'm more worried about my guys hitting a pressurized gas line than someones precious telco wire. Wire gets fixed in a matter of hours.
In many states there's only one number to call, not several. Anywhere you live in MA (and a bunch of other NE states), you call "Dig Safe" at 1 888 DIG SAFE, tell them the date and location of the dig, and they make sure all the appropriate companies are contacted.
Here in Georgia, USA, at least, you can make one phone call and have all underground gas, cable, phone, sewer, and electric lines located for you. For free. People come from the various services and stick little flags in the ground over the lines.
I had to do this when I dug up part of my front yard to put in a flower bed.
Your design to a real part online: Big Blue Saw
You're on drugs. NO utility gives depth info, and I'm not aware of any major one-call center that TAKES depth info from the caller. I know for a fact that we don't.
Depth is useless; in Arizona, for example, snow-plows are required to "call before they plow". Why? Soil erosion.
Here in my state, depth is likewise useless; not as much from erosion as it is from grading. Infrastructure goes in first; landscape happens last. It is QUITE common for a 48" deep line to be 24" from the surface after several years.
And that isn't accounting for things that were discovered when trying to bury the lines in the first place; intersections with other plant means you change height at that location. Hitting Bedrock... means you change height.
> had the major fiber carrier in the area... assured him it was 6' down
Not likely. The moron sent to locate the cable may have mentioned the depth in passing, but I work with these "major carriers" and their locators every day, and there is no way in hell they'd say "you're fine to use your backhoe directly on top of my wire up to 5 feet 11 inches deep". Most "Major Carriers", on a long-haul line, will physically PUT A BODY on-site during the dig to enforce the protection of their cables by hand digging over it. If it's an issue, or a very high-value asset, they'll even go so far as to hand-expose it, themselves. They do not, ever, say "sure! Just dig right on top of it".
Ever.
What I'd suggest is that you ask your contractor friend to define what he means by "assure". And as you do this, remember that he's getting sued for being at fault... he won't do anything to deflect responsibility, at all... he certainly won't exaggerate what was said, for certain.
help me i've cloned myself and can't remember which one I am