950R/TLOCATING EQUIPMENT

stopimg title="keepCool_img1" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: 0px solid; WIDTH: 260px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; HEIGHT: 195px; BORDER-TOP: 0px solid; align: left" alt="keepCool_img1" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/1_KeepCool_260x195(1).jpg" border="0" />Catastrophic tornadoes and floods have grabbed recent headlines, but each year one weather phenomenon kills more people than tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and lightning combined: heat.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an average of more than 1,500 people in the U.S. die each year from excessive heat—yet it is the most preventable of weather-related deaths.

If you work in construction, summer is one of your busiest times of the year because it’s typically the driest season and offers the most hours of daylight. But the sun providing all that productive daylight can be the biggest jobsite hazard you face all year. No matter how tough you are or how used to the heat you think you are, excessive heat can bring down anyone who doesn’t take the necessary precautions.

The following information applies to anyone who is employed in an outdoor profession—construction workers in particular—but also applies to those who work in hot factories and anyone who spends time outdoors exercising, gardening, or laboring in any capacity during the summer months. (This is general information. More specific information can be found in the sources cited below.)

Know Your Chemistry

Our bodies dissipate heat by varying the rate and depth of blood circulation, and by expelling water through the skin and sweat glands. When we reach the danger zone, when our blood is heated above 98.6 degrees, we begin to pant—we’re literally “working like a dog.”

Sweating alone does little to cool the body, unless the sweat is removed by evaporation. But high relative humidity inhibits evaporation. When you’re checking the forecast for tomorrow, pay close attention to the heat index: the combination of relative humidity and air temperature. For example, if the air temperature is 96° F and the relative humidity is 65 percent, the heat index is 121° F. This is the heat your body really feels.

Heat disorders involve a reduction or collapse of our bodies’ ability to shed heat by circulatory changes and sweating, or a chemical (salt) imbalance caused by too much sweating. When heat gain exceeds the level the body can remove, or when the body cannot compensate for fluids and salt lost through perspiration, the temperature of the body's inner core begins to rise, bringing on various degrees of heat-related illnesses.

stopimg title="keepCool_img2" style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: 0px solid; WIDTH: 260px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; HEIGHT: 195px; BORDER-TOP: 0px solid; align: right" alt="keepCool_img2" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/2_KeepCool_260x195.jpg" border="0" />Ranking Heat Disorders

The severity of heat disorders is relative to a person’s age, weight, fitness, medical condition, and degree of acclimatization to the heat. For example, heat cramps in a 17-year-old may translate as heat exhaustion in someone who is 40, and heat stroke in a person over 60. Common heat disorders include:

• Sunburn. Along with being painful and irritating, sunburn can significantly retard the skin’s ability to shed excess heat. The best solution for sunburn is prevention, by applying sunscreen throughout the day.
• Heat cramps. Symptoms are painful spasms, usually in the muscles of the legs and abdomen, often preceded by profuse sweating.
• Heat rash. Also known as prickly heat, heat rash can occur in hot, humid environments where sweat is not easily removed from the surface of the skin by evaporation. Serious heat rash can be so uncomfortable that it inhibits sleep and impedes a worker’s performance.
• Heat exhaustion. Symptoms include heavy sweating, weakness, headache, fainting, vomiting, and skin that is cold, pale and clammy. It is possible to have a normal temperature with heat exhaustion.
• Heat stroke or sunstroke. This is the most serious health problem for workers in hot environments. Heat stroke occurs when sweating stops and the body can no longer rid itself of excess heat. Symptoms include an excessively high body temperature (106° F or higher); mental confusion or delirium; convulsions; hot, dry skin; strong and rapid pulse; and possible unconsciousness. Make no mistake: heat stroke can be fatal, and victims need immediate medical attention.

Prevention: The Best Solution

The number one method of avoiding heat disorders: avoiding heat. But for construction workers in the summer, this is simply not possible. So, here are some tips for staying cool and staying alive, beginning with the most obvious:

• Drink plenty of fluids. Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink water even if you don't feel thirsty. Proper hydration actually begins the day before a long, strenuous day in the sun. Before increasing your fluid consumption, consult a physician if you (1) have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease; (2) are on a fluid-restrictive diet; or (3) have a problem with fluid retention.
• Do not drink alcoholic beverages. Alcohol dehydrates your body. Enough said.
• Limit caffeine intake.
• Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician.
• Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods that are heavy in protein increase metabolic heat production and also increase water loss.
• Dress as lightly as possible. You need protective clothing, of course, but consider light-colored fabrics, such as cotton, that breathe.
• When possible, take longer breaks than normal in a cool, shaded area. A rested worker is a more productive worker.
• Know the symptoms of heat illnesses. Use a buddy system to keep tabs on your fellow workers.
• Acclimate yourself to the heat. You can “get used to” the heat, to some degree. Workers, especially those who follow the advice above, can eventually develop some degree of tolerance. However, new employees and workers returning from an absence of two weeks or more should have a five-day period of acclimatization: 50 percent of the normal workload and time exposure the first day, gradually building up to 100 percent on the fifth day.

stopimg title="keepCool_img3" style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: 0px solid; WIDTH: 260px; PADDING-LEFT: 10px; HEIGHT: 195px; BORDER-TOP: 0px solid; align: left" alt="keepCool_img3" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/3_KeepCool_260x195.jpg" border="0" />Supervisor Obligations

There are precautions every employer should take when temperatures are high and the job involves physical work.

• Understand the signs of heat stress and permit workers to interrupt their work if they are extremely uncomfortable.
• Provide training about the hazards leading to heat stress and how to prevent them.
• If possible, schedule the heaviest workload for the coolest part of the day: early morning or late evening, when the sun is less intense.
• Make sure your workers have easy access to cool water—a minimum of one quart of water per hour, per worker.
• Schedule frequent rest periods with water breaks in shaded or air- conditioned areas.
• Routinely check on workers who are at risk of heat stress due to protective clothing and high temperature. Pay close attention to those who are at risk because of age and physical condition (including obesity and diabetes).

When A Fellow Worker Is Ill From The Heat

• Call a supervisor for help. If the supervisor is not available, call 911.
• Have someone stay with the worker until help arrives.
• Move the worker to a cooler/shaded area.
• Remove outer clothing.
• Fan and mist the worker with water; apply ice (ice bags or ice towels).
• Provide cool drinking water, if the worker is able to drink.

For more information about preventing and treating heat-related illness, consult these articles:

• “Heat Wave: A Major Summer Killer,” [http://www.noaawatch.gov/themes/heat.php] by the NOAA
• “Protecting Workers From Heat Stress,” [http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3154.pdf] by OSHA
• “Protecting Workers In Hot Environments,” [http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=FACT_SHEETS&p_id=167] by OSHA

Sources for this article:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (noaawatch.gov)
• Occupational and Safety Health Administration (osha.gov)

stopimg title="1_980T-resized" alt="1_980T-resized" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/1_980T-resized.jpg" stopimg2Successfully locating and identifying buried utilities is a process of elimination—elimination of mistakes—according to Matt Lumbers, Ditch Witch^® electronics product manager. A thorough understanding of the survey area and the equipment’s correct operating procedures can help you save a great deal of time and money.

No matter what locating equipment you are using, these guidelines will help drilling or excavating crews understand precisely where they can operate safely.

Know Where You Stand.

"Jobsite awareness is critical," says Lumbers. "You should gain as much knowledge about the location of the facilities before pulling out your pipe and cable locator." There are three essential steps: stopimg title="2_811Logo_resized" alt="2_811Logo_resized" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/2_811Logo_resized.jpg" stopimg3

1. Call 811. "Smart digging always requires a call to 811," says the 811 website. This cannot be overemphasized. Calling 811 is important whether you are planting a tree in your backyard or installing new utilities.

Calls to 811 are routed to your local One Call Center, where an operator will ask details about your project. With this information, the operator will notify the local utility companies that will be affected. Within a few days, the companies will send a professional locator to mark the approximate location of your underground lines, pipes and cables. Some important things to remember about calling 811:  

• Call a minimum of 48 hours before you plan to dig. Some states require 72 hours’ notice.
• Only call if you intend to dig. You should not call 811 simply to acquire a map of the utilities in your area.
• One Call contractors mark utilities for free, so take advantage of the 811 service. It can help you avoid utility damage, power outages, fines, and worse.

For more information, visit the 811 website.

2. Make use of available facility records. Facility records indicate approximate location, number of facilities, and access points for buried facilities within the jobsite area. Records are usually available from the facility owner.

3. Visually inspect the jobsite. "Visual inspection is necessary to determine if there are facilities not on record," says Lumbers. Evidence of a facility includes poles, dips enclosures, pedestals, valves, meters, risers, and manholes. stopimg title="3_830_resized" alt="3_830_resized" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/3_830_resized.jpg" stopimg2

Know The Process.

Pipe and cable locators actually locate the electromagnetic (EM) field produced by the AC current flowing on the line, not the pipe or cable itself. Most non-metallic pipes and cables have tracer wires buried next to them that can conduct electricity.

EM pipe- and cable-locator equipment systems consist of a transmitter and a receiver that are portable and, when properly used, very accurate. After identifying the best access point to the target line, the operator can place a signal on the line either by direct connection, clamp induction, or broadcast induction. The most accurate method is direct connection, which involves the signal traveling from the transmitter, through the target line, and returning through the ground stake. Here are some recommended procedures for direct connection:

1. Setup

• Remove common grounds and connections to other utility lines to prevent the signal from being placed on untargeted lines.
• Insert the ground stake to the left or right of the target line’s suspected path. The transmitter’s black ground wire should not cross other lines.
• Connect the black transmitter wire to the stake and the red transmitter wire to the target line. Remove any paint, dirt or corrosion from the target line.

2. Power and Frequency Selection

On the transmitter, select the appropriate settings to match the conditions of the particular locate. Use the minimum power level and the lowest frequency required to locate the target line. (Remember: the higher the frequency, the easier to couple to adjacent lines, and the shorter distance the signal travels.)

3. Sweep

Set the receiver frequency to match the transmitter frequency. Conduct a 360-degree sweep around the access point where the transmitter is connected to the target line. This helps locate the direction of the target line.stopimg title="4_FX-30_resized" alt="4_FX-30_resized" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/4_FX-30_resized.jpg" stopimg3

4. Tracing the Target Line

The target line can be identified by finding the location with the strongest signal response. Sweep the receiver perpendicular to the target line and walk along its path. Retrace the path and mark with the proper color paint or flags.  

Know Your Limits.

The receiver/transmitter system is accurate when used properly, but the only way to verify the exact depth and location of a target line is to expose it. First, select the critical areas along the marked path of the target line, and then excavate to the target line. Exposing target lines can be safely accomplished using a Ditch Witch FX25, FX30 or FX60 vacuum excavation system.

stopimg title="19a" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" alt="19a" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/19astopimg4Take the time to winterize your equipment this year. A few minutes spent could save you time and money in the months to come. The amount of winter care your equipment needs depends both on the climate and how it is used. Check your service manual guidelines, and keep the following tips in mind:

1. Check coolant. Provide protection by using the recommended antifreeze/water mixture for the lowest temperature expected during operations.

2. Change the oil and filter before cold weather arrives. In addition, use lubricants recommended for low temperature applications.

3. Maintain the battery. Remove cables, clean cable ends and posts, and clean and tighten terminals on the cranking motor. And remember never to charge a frozen battery.

4. Check tire inflation. Tires inflated in a warm shop will be under-inflated when used in cold temperatures.

5. Give hydraulic components time to warm up before beginning work. If you’re running diesel equipment, be sure to idle the engine a few minutes before shutting down to properly lubricate internal components. Your local Ditch Witch^® service technicians can help you make the most of your cold-weather equipment productivity, and can suggest winterizing techniques that are perfectly suited to your operation.

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/2150GR.jpg" alt="2150GR" title="2150GR" />Damage Prevention

Construction professionals understand the importance of not damaging buried utilities while performing any type of new construction and maintenance work.

Even so, accidental strikes of underground utility lines continue to interrupt essential services, cause millions of dollars in damage, result in serious injuries and, in some cases, loss of life. And as utility easements become more crowded, preventing damage to underground facilities has become increasingly challenging.

"Protecting our buried utilities is of critical importance," says Mike Dvorak, electronics sales manager for The Charles Machine Works, Inc. "Utility damage prevention is a responsibility that involves many diverse public and private organizations, making communication and cooperation essential to reduce the number of underground utility strikes."

Locating Is The First Step

The first step in preventing damage to buried facilities is to accurately locate and mark all utilities in a work area before construction. This process is initiated by calling the local one-call center, providing the exact location of the work site and requesting locates be made. The call must be placed at least 48 hours before work is scheduled to begin.

The one-call center then contacts appropriate utility providers, who then locate and accurately mark positions of their buried lines. Some utilities use their own personnel; others employ contract locating specialists.

The basic tool used by locating personnel is the electronic locator, such as the 950R/T receiver/transmitter system from Ditch Witch® Electronics. The 950R/T consists of a lightweight, handheld receiver and compact transmitter unit. It is designed to help make locating buried cable and pipe easier and provide more accurate results.

stopimg style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/950RT.jpg" alt="950RT" title="950RT" />"The 950R receiver," explains Dvorak, "uses different frequencies and modes to find locations of different types of utilities by detecting magnetic fields created by electrical current passing through the lines."

In some situations, the receiving unit is all that is necessary to locate electrical and television cable signals. To find telephone cable and metallic pipe, the 950T transmitter is connected to cable or pipe and a current is sent through the line, creating a signal that is detected by the receiver.

For PVC pipe with tracer wire, the wire is energized by the transmitter to provide a signal that the receiver can read. The receiver processes information and displays an estimate of depth and other data on an easy-to-read screen.

Dvorak says that some utilities also mark positions of buried facilities with 3M electronic markers that are buried with pipe or cable. Markers are passive, resonant circuits with no internal power source to run down, and their polyethylene shells are impervious to minerals, chemicals, and temperature extremes. They are located using a Ditch Witch 950R receiver equipped with an Electronic Marker Locator (EML) attachment that transmits a signal to the buried marker, which then resonates it back to the EML. Markers, line and cable locators, and EML attachments are available at Ditch Witch dealerships.

"Ground-penetrating radar technology also has been adapted for utility locating purposes," says Dvorak. "One of our newer Ditch Witch Electronics products is the 2150GR ground penetrating radar (GPR). It can be used to detect and locate both metallic and non-metallic pipes and cables, but the method is dependant on soil conditions and antenna selection. GPR products are not effective in all types of soils, but can be helpful in locating some previously unknown facilities."

Potholing

"Potholing"—physically uncovering a buried utility to confirm its location—is the surest method of determining a utility's exact position. Because of accelerated efforts to prevent damage to buried utilities, potholing is becoming a standard practice on a growing number of utility jobsites. Government agencies are adopting regulations that require potholing, and project owners and contractors are establishing their own policies specifying potholing before excavation or directional drilling begins.

The procedure isn't new, but until recently most potholes were dug with backhoes, and even skilled operators always ran the risk of hitting and damaging the pipe or cable they were attempting to locate.

"Soft" excavation has changed all that.

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/FX30.jpg" alt="FX30" title="FX30" />Portable vacuum excavators use high-pressure water or air to quickly dig small, precisely controlled potholes to uncover buried utilities, eliminating the risk of damage inherent with a backhoe, excavator, or other mechanical tool.

"The Ditch Witch FX60 is the perfect machine for fast, efficient potholing," says Dvorak. "Soil is displaced by a high-pressure stream of water, precisely directed by a handheld wand. Water for excavation is carried in the unit's 200-gallon supply tank."

Depending on soil conditions, a 12-inch-square, 5-foot-deep pothole can be completed in less than 30 minutes.

"Vacuum excavators," says Dvorak, "are capable of digging much deeper, but utility potholes seldom need to be more than six feet deep. The vacuum function of the dual-purpose machine picks up soil displaced during excavation to use later as fill or to be removed from the jobsite. Soft excavation causes less surface damage and reduces disruption of traffic and other surface activities. The small excavation is easier, faster, and less expensive to repair."

For many utilities and contractors, potholing is standard procedure on horizontal directional drilling projects when the path of a planned pilot bore either crosses or is in close proximity to buried lines.

"A vacuum excavator's usefulness isn't limited to HDD operations," adds Dvorak. "It is the ideal tool any time a small, carefully controlled excavation is necessary. Vacuum excavators also are used to clean up drilling fluids that escape from bore holes during drilling, backreaming, and product installation, and can be used as a powerful, portable vacuum for just about any type of cleanup need."

Focus On Best Practices

Common Ground Alliance (CGA) efforts focus on implementing best-practice procedures identified in the Common Ground Best Practices Study, recognized as the most effective guidelines for preventing damage to underground facilities. One of CGA's primary roles is coordinating information and communications among the various organizations involved in building, maintaining, and operating the utility infrastructure.

"CGA encourages the shared responsibility of utility damage prevention," says Dvorak. "They help achieve this by refining and disseminating best-practice recommendations, developing public awareness through educational programs, supporting appropriate research, and serving as an information clearinghouse."

A "Dig Safely" public awareness campaign, which includes a damage-prevention brochure and video, and the "Call 811" initiative are in progress to make construction personnel and the general public aware of the importance of notifying one-call centers before construction begins. More information on CGA programs is available on the CGA website: www.commongroundalliance.com.

The Charles Machine Works, Inc., Perry, Oklahoma, is the world's leading manufacturer of underground construction equipment. Its products include Ditch Witch trenchers, vibratory plows, horizontal directional drilling systems, Ditch Witch Electronic tracking and utility locaters, mini excavators, mini skid steers, excavator-tool carriers and the Zahn® family of power utility equipment.

For more information about DitchWitch products, call 800-654-6481 or visit www.ditchwitch.com

After numerous attempts to qualify for the International Utility Locate Rodeo, John Goforth finally made it with the help of a Ditch Witch 950R, the same electronic locator he uses on the job as a water operator for Caroline County Utilities in Virginia.

The International Utility Locate Rodeo is an annual event that brings together the top utility locators from around the country for a series of competitions that test each contestant's ability to locate utilities quickly and accurately. The 2007 competition in which Goforth competed was held August 4 on the campus of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, and was hosted by the Utilities Protection Center of Georgia and the National Utility Locate Contracts Association. Considered by many to be the Olympics of the locate industry, the Locate Rodeo had 86 locate technicians from 21 states competing in four divisions gas, water, power, and telecommunications plus a hair-raising bonus round called "Locate From Hell."

To qualify for the Atlanta games, Goforth had to first win his state competition, which is conducted each May by the Virginia chapter of the American Water Works Association. He had tried several times before, each time placing in the top three. Goforth finally brought home the gold in the "Buried Treasure" event. Goforth explains the rules of the event this way: "There was a buried tracer wire exposed on one end. Each string had a different color hub. You had to locate the buried wire and mark it with flags. Then you had to coordinate each color string with each measurement. And you only had five minutes to do this.

"We were judged by both overall accuracy and the amount of time it takes. It's not just a speed event."

At the international competition in Atlanta, Goforth finished a respectable sixth out of 16 contestants in the water division, wielding his trusty Ditch Witch 950R. The rules were a bit different than the Virginia "Buried Treasure" event. Competitors had twelve minutes to review a utility map of the locate area, unpack and connect the locator, mark and record measurements on a chart, totally pack the locator back in the case, and return all marking chips to the judge.

The "Locate From Hell" competition was a different animal altogether. Contestants were not allowed to use their own equipment and had only three minutes to locate, measure and mark numerous targets. "They gave us a grid map of all of these buildings. You didn't know what you were locating: gas, water, electric, or what," says Goforth. "I probably would have done better with my [Ditch Witch 950R]."

Goforth says he has been a big fan of Ditch Witch equipment for about 12 years, first being exposed to the company's legendary trenching machines. When he became a water operator, he tried other electronic locators but eventually settled on the 950R. "[The 950R] is something I'm real comfortable with," he says. "It's user-friendly, the battery seems to stay charged for a long time, and it's durable. Plus, you get so many different options on it, as far as your frequencies. It's just a great machine that's never let me down."

With three modes and more than 20 frequencies, the 950R/T (receiver/transmitter) system is designed to help the operator quickly locate buried telephone, CATV, power, gas and water lines with a tracer wire. The 950R detects signals generated by 31 kHz (CATV) and 50/60 Hz power, as well as re-radiated radio frequencies. The lightweight 950R is balanced for easy handling, and it features an enhanced backlit LCD that offers optimal visibility in low-light conditions.

Goforth hopes to return to this summer's International Utility Locate Rodeo. But first he'll have to defend his state title in Newport News, Virginia, this May. Win or lose, he'll have the Ditch Witch 950R in hand.

The Ditch Witch organization specializes in the design and manufacture of high-quality underground construction equipment. The company is a one-stop source for trenchers, vibratory plows, pneumatic piercing tools, backhoes, electronic guidance and locating tools, horizontal directional drilling systems, drill pipe, downhole tools, vacuum excavation systems, excavator-tool carriers, mini skid steers, and Zahn family of trenchers.

All of these products are recognized around the world for their advanced design, rugged construction, long-term durability, ease of use, and reliability. This product line represents the most complete range of equipment for installing utilities underground.

The Ditch Witch name is one you can trust for your equipment and financial needs. Ditch Witch Financial Services (DWFS) is a full-service provider, offering a wide variety of finance and lease options to meet your individual requirements.

For more information, please call 1-800-654-6481 or visit ditchwitch.com.