[What does damage prevention mean to you?] To me, it means protecting the public and protecting the infrastructure.
[How do you collaborate with others to prevent damages?] In my current role, it’s just about enforcing the New Mexico excavation laws. So,I do a lot of site visits. I’ll just pull up on contractors, check their locates, make sure they’re potholing, make sure they’re not blind boring. I have really good communication with the locators and the contractors in the area that I work due to my line locating profession before, so I’ve made a really good name for myself in the industry over the years. So, for me, I’ll pull up and I’ll issue a $5,000 fine on the spot, and I’ll shut them down if they’re digging unsafe.
[How have you seen the industry come together to improve damage prevention?] I think a lot of it’s communication and collaboration. Especially in my new role. I really strive for communication between the contractors and the locators. Coming from the locator background, if there’s no communication, lines more so get hit.
[Complete this sentence: "Damage prevention is..."] Critical. I mean, we have to protect the infrastructure and public safety.
I am damage prevention.
