Missouri 811 is the notification center. However, there is a greater morality than just sending messages that someone is going to dig around your utilities. There is a responsibility to help utilities and excavators alike understand the laws, rules, the standards of practice, and understand that in our lives “Ignorance may not necessarily be bliss” in the opposite spirit of the old saying.
There is so much to your day-to-day life as a utility. You are trying to get that water line laid or repaired, broadband to new customers, gas and electric service to customers that need to use energy to make their day happen…but underlying all of that is the need to understand the crowded world of underground utilities, the laws, the rules, the standards of practices…and the understanding of the consequences of not knowing.
This issue of the newsletter talks about training. Missouri 811 offers free 811 Bootcamps in the Winter and Spring for those who excavate, free locator training every month for those who locate, free online Webinar Wednesdays direct assistance training for those who utilize the ticketing system and want to better know how to use the tools within. Last, but not least, Missouri 811 Damage Prevention Managers will come to your location and custom tailor training for your crew! Yes, that is free, too.
Missouri 811 also wants to reach out to your industry organizations. In 2024, we have focused on the Missouri Municipal League, Missouri Public Utility Alliance, and Missouri Rural Water Association. Over half our utility membership consists of municipalities who tend to own every imaginable type of utility! Outreach through their industry organizations helps us to close missing loops of communication. We are eager to find other industry organizations that help to bring the message of damage prevention to underground utilities and the safety issues that go along with that mission. If we are missing from your industry organization’s agendas, drop me a line and let me know. I would like to close that loop. My email is rnorden@missouri-811.org