December 2007

They Dig with a Golden Backhoe

Award recognizes care and expertise

of co-op's underground crews

As our area grows, the maze of underground utilities–including electricity, telephone, cable, water, sewer and natural gas–gets more complicated to navigate.

Accidentally cutting a utility line causes havoc, possibly resulting in injury, damage, expense and fines.

So how do Walton EMC crews avoid cutting other utilities’ lines when they install new underground electric wire?

“Knowing the location of existing lines plays a big part in helping us,” says Line Crew Supervisor Larry Lawson. When any type of underground work is scheduled, even something as simple as planting a tree, Georgia law requires notifying the Georgia Utilities Protection Center (GUPC).

In turn, the GUPC notifies utilities with lines in the area to mark them.

Finding underground lines is frequently a game of hide and seek. Line Technician Trainees Brian Terry and Marcus Riley with Senior URD Technician Jerry Miller use non-conductive fiberglass probes, shovels and hole diggers to look for lines so heavy equipment can avoid digging into them.

Just like Walton EMC crews, consumers can access the location process by simply dialing 811. “Having the new 811 phone number makes it easy for homeowners to remember,” says Lawson.

But even after the lines are located, by paint marks on the ground or small flags, crews must still be diligent.

“We probe by hand and then do a lot of digging with hole diggers and shovels,” says Journeyman Line Technician Larry Johnson. “And in this drought, that’s not easy,” adds Journeyman Line Technician Tommy Maddox.

Only when crews are satisfied they know the whereabouts of other underground lines to the best of their ability do they bring out heavy equipment for trenching and digging.

Getting Noticed

Lawson’s crews performed over 1,400 new underground installations over the past year. That doesn’t count other jobs the crews routinely perform, like digging up and repairing bad cable.

Out of that 1,400, the crews had very few mishaps. And their quality work has been noticed with a prestigious award.

The Golden Backhoe, given annually by the Georgia Utilities Coordinating Council (GUCC) since 1995, recognizes utilities that have done the best job in “keeping Georgia safe and connected.” Winners demonstrate knowledge of the process of locating and avoiding potential underground hazards by their low accident rate.

The award’s purpose is to promote safe digging practices and recognize those who excel in damage prevention. Lawson’s crews received the award at the GUCC fall conference.

How did his crews earn the award? “Teamwork–that’s how we did it,” says Lawson.

That teamwork stretches beyond Lawson’s crews; it also includes Walton EMC customer-owners who cooperate in helping line technicians get the job done.

Watch a video showing how underground wiring is installed.

Yikes! This homeowner planted shrubbery jam up against the underground transformer that serves this house. The only way crews can gain access to work is by removing it, as Journeyman Line Technician Eric Floyd and Line Technician Trainee Marcus Riley are doing here. Walton EMC regulations require a six-foot workspace around the sides and back of underground transformers and a ten-foot clearance in the front.

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