Build safety protocol into procurement
Include clear language in contracts and bid opportunities that defines municipal health and safety policies, compliance requirements and responsibilities of all contracted companies.
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Did you know that 78 percent of damages to underground infrastructure in Ontario are caused by contractors? Striking a natural gas line can delay projects, interrupt natural gas service and put crews and the public at risk.
Municipalities take on significant liability and obligations when they hire contractors to perform work on their behalf. As you move through the bidding process, be sure to prioritize and communicate the importance of excavating safely. Damages to natural gas lines can also add up in substantial costs for repair, lost productivity and dispatching of emergency services.
Why is it so important to dig safely around natural gas lines, even with a locate? Hear directly from professional excavators, contractors and damage inspectors about what can go wrong—and why it’s not worth the risk.
Include clear language in contracts and bid opportunities that defines municipal health and safety policies, compliance requirements and responsibilities of all contracted companies.
Many municipalities stipulate that contracts will be terminated if contractors don’t follow safe excavation practices. Many also prohibit companies from bidding on projects for a certain number of years following a termination.
Ensure contractors build enough time into their process to allow for locates. If contractors raise doubts about paint markings compared to information on a locate sheet, encourage them to take extra time to be diligent and thorough before excavating.
Our Damage Prevention team works closely with municipalities across Ontario to support contractors. They’ll help verify locates, access maps and infrastructure records and visit job sites to work collaboratively in the best interest of everyone involved.
Sign up for Ontario One Call’s online Professional Locate Administrator Course (PLAC). Through nine interactive modules, you’ll learn how to effectively manage locates and keep your crew and your community safe.
If homeowners or contractors are dealing with blocked sewers or flooding, it's important that they understand the potential risks to public safety, including a gas leak, fire or explosion.
Before they attempt to clear a sewer blockage, they must contact Ontario One Call at 1-800-400-2255 for a free natural gas sewer safety inspection. These inspections are treated as emergency calls so they can be resolved as quickly as possible.
Underground natural gas pipelines unintentionally installed through sewer or septic pipes are called cross bores. Left undisturbed, cross bores aren’t an immediate safety risk. However, they can result in a dangerous natural gas leak if equipment used to unclog sewer or septic pipes (rotating or water jet equipment) damages the natural gas line.
Signs that a natural gas line has been damaged could include bubbling water, a hissing sound, natural gas smell (rotten eggs) and blowing dirt.
Hitting an underground utility can delay your project and put your crew, company and community at serious risk. Learn how to excavate safely to prevent injury, fines and penalties.