FX25VACUUM EXCAVATOR

stopimg style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" style="padding-right: 10px; " src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/fx30(1).jpg" alt="FX30 - image 1" title="FX30 - image 1" border="0" />For all the high-tech, manmade gadgetry available for locating and identifying buried utilities, nothing is more reliable than what Mother Nature provides us in abundance: water. Water is the main ingredient in potholing, the act of physically uncovering a buried utility to verify its location. Potholing is widely held as the surest, safest method of determining a utility’s exact position.

And it’s probably safe to say that the more that utilities are verified in this manner, the fewer accidental utility strikes there would be each year. Estimates vary because many strikes are not reported, but accidental strikes are believed to number in the hundreds of thousands annually.

The Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the organization dedicated to preventing damage to underground infrastructure, keeps track of the strikes reported by its member organizations. The official CGA figure for 2009 (the latest currently available) is 115,232. This is a 15 percent decrease from 2008, and marks the first time since the 2003 launching of the CGA’s Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) that this figure decreased from one year to the next.

Good news, right? It depends. The CGA’s 2009 DIRT Report cautions that this “decrease may be the result of several factors, including the reality [of] economic conditions and less construction activity.”

Whatever the reason, the figure 115,232 represents a significant reduction. But it is still way, way too large a number, considering the technology we have available for preventing accidents, and considering what even one utility strike can mean: disruption of essential services, expensive and time-consuming repairs, lawsuits, injuries, and even death.

Because of accelerated efforts to prevent damage to buried utilities, potholing is becoming a standard practice on a growing number of utility jobsites. A great deal of credit goes to the CGA’s marketing efforts and its identification and dissemination of construction industry best practices, considered to be the most thorough and effective guidelines for preventing damage to underground facilities. 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.

Seeing Is Knowing.

stopimg border="0" style="padding-left: 20px;" align="right" style="padding-left: 10px; float: right; " src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/FX-30-7stopimg4Potholing is not new. For years, the process consisted of workers using shovels, a slow and labor-intensive job that was not without risks. Even the most skilled and experienced laborers made mistakes, often at the end of a long, hot day when fatigue had set in. To speed the process, workers began using backhoes, but in many cases this technique only reduced the time it took to cut through an electric cable or water line.

Vacuum excavators revolutionized the potholing process. When they were introduced, vacs were primarily used for removing fluids and spoils from horizontal directional drilling sites, and various municipal tasks such as water-leak repair and cleaning out storm drains, valve boxes, and utility vaults. Then vac systems’ “soft” excavation (or hydro excavation) capabilities began to catch on. Digging postholes for new fence installation was a snap with a high-pressure stream of water. And if postholes, why not potholes?

Most vacuum excavators are equipped with high-pressure air or water, which is directed by a wand with a special tip to displace soil. With high-pressure water, a vac system can quickly create small, precisely controlled potholes to uncover buried utilities. Using proper techniques, the risk of damage inherent with a backhoe, excavator, or other mechanical tool can be reduced. Depending on soil conditions, a vacuum excavator can complete a 12-inch-square, five-foot-deep pothole in fewer than 30 minutes. Spoil from the potholing process then can be simultaneously vacuumed to a holding tank for reuse or disposal.

Vacuum excavators are capable of “digging” much deeper than six feet, but utility potholes seldom need to be more than that. And the small excavation is easier, faster, and less expensive to repair.

Reducing Risk Also Reduces Expense.

That’s right: done properly, potholing is not only safer, but the actual process of potholing with a vacuum excavator is also less expensive. Santa Clarita Valley, California, is among the growing number of municipalities that have discovered the economic benefits of potholing.

Like most American communities, Santa Clarita has a utility infrastructure that is showing its age, and the city has no choice but to replace it, section by section, as funds allow. In 2008, the City of Santa Clarita made the decision to invest nearly $50,000 in a state-of-the-art vacuum excavation system to perform, among other things, the task of potholing to safely determine where and where not to excavate.

After looking at the costs of potholing with a vacuum excavator versus the traditional, labor-intensive method, the decision was easy. Crunching the numbers, city officials estimated that the typical cost of digging 10 potholes with a backhoe was $7185, itemized this way:

• $2400 for paving roughly 200 square feet
• $3885 for 30 hours of labor
• $900 for 30 hours of equipment use

stopimg border="0" style="padding-right: 20px;" align="left" style="padding-right: 10px; float: left; " src="/uploadedImages/Left_Nav/Press_Room/Job_Related_List/FX30-4stopimg4The same job with a new vacuum excavation machine, however, was estimated at only $1875, or roughly a quarter of the cost of potholing the old-fashioned way. Only 40 square feet of paving would be required, and only 10 hours of labor and 10 hours of equipment use costs.

Needless to say, the vacuum excavator was a smart investment for the City of Santa Clarita, and would be for any community or company interested in locating utilities with minimal risk and expense. This would seem to include everyone in the underground construction industry, and there is a vacuum excavator for every budget—from the portable vac that can fit in the back of a standard-size pickup truck, to the trailer-mounted systems, to the large, diesel-powered, skid-mounted vacs with 1200-gallon water tanks, hydraulic booms, and many other options and accessories.

For those not ready to buy, an affordable strategy is rental, and many equipment rental companies carry vac systems. Whether you buy or rent, be forewarned: after trying the potholing method to expose utilities, after experiencing its speed, efficiency, economic and safety benefits, you might not want to go back to the old way of doing things.

Sources for this article:  

• Common Ground Alliance 2009 DIRT Report  
• Commongroundalliance.com  
• Compact Equipment article, April 2009: “Hydro Excavation Systems Provide Precise, Safe Utility Location,” by Barb Cooper.
• Santa Clarita Valley Signal article, November 2008: “Water Retailer Finds A ‘Hole New Way To Work,” by Jim Holt.
• Ditchwitch.com pressroom articles: “Vacuum Excavators,” “The ABCs of Utility Damage Prevention,” and “Best Practices For Damage Prevention.”  

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.