Inaugural White Paper Offers Recommendations for Improved Excavator Training, Outreach 

Common Ground Alliance has announced the release of a new white paper that offers a blueprint for all stakeholders to increase the effectiveness of their outreach to professional excavators about preventing damage to underground utilities.

CGA white paper: Data-Informed Insights and Recommendations for More Effective Excavator Outreach analyzes data from the most recent CGA DIRT Report, a national online survey and in-person focus group sessions conducted with professional excavators, and a study of general public awareness of the 811 “call before you dig” service to offer the following four key takeaways:

1. Continue increasing awareness of 811 through strategic marketing and education campaigns
2. Acknowledge the realities of the jobsite when communicating best practices to excavators
3. Develop an integrated communications plan to reach all types of excavators
4. Make damage prevention training more easily accessible, relevant and actionable.

The white paper uses specific citations and graphs from CGA’s primary data sources to outline a research-backed case for the four takeaways, which are all supported by at least three specific and actionable recommendations for damage prevention stakeholders to use when partnering with professional excavators.

CGA focused its attention on professional excavators because of their unique position in the damage prevention process – which spans from the critical first step of calling 811 prior to digging, to excavating with care. Additionally, the CGA white paper highlights the potential benefits that could be achieved if stakeholder groups as varied as facility operators, one call centers, regulators and general contractors use consistent tactics and messages when partnering with excavators to prevent damage to underground utilities.

Excavators who participated in the online survey cited throughout the white paper self-identified areas of training and education where they felt they most needed guidance and assistance from other stakeholder groups. Examples included requests for more specific references to state laws in videos, fact sheets and informative and easy-to-read “one-sheeters” that use concise and direct language free from jargon.

The white paper is available to non-members of CGA only until May 31 at CommonGroundAlliance.com/whitepaper-public.