By the nature of their role in the damage
prevention process, locators can have a significant influence
on the success of a ground disturbance. The key elements
of a “good” locate are:
• adequate training,
• suitable equipment,
• adequate records and
• adequate time.
If any one or more of these elements
is missing, the quality of the locate will suffer. Locators
have an obligation to provide sufficient information to
anyone undertaking a ground disturbance to allow the ground
disturber to complete his or her work safely and in compliance
with the governing regulations.
Locators should:
• understand the nature, purpose
and scope of a proposed ground disturbance,
• identify and mark the locations
of all facilities, potentially in conflict with a proposed
ground disturbance, in accordance with governing regulations,
industry practice and best practices,
• mark the locations of buried
facilities adequately to show the horizontal alignment,
• advise the ground disturber
of any special conditions, concerns or requirements,
• provide documentation of the
locates performed to the ground disturber,
• ensure locate documentation
is adequate to allow the re-establishment of the locate
marks,
• ensure that the ground disturber
understands the locates, their limitations and the documentation,
• perform locates safely,
• report any record errors found
to the operator of the buried facility,
• recognize and accept that they
have three sets of customers to satisfy:
•
the operators of the buried facilities,
• the digging community
and
• the one-call centre
• support and participate in damage
prevention organizations.
