Presentation recaps from the 2021 MWDPTC are now uploaded and available below!
LAUNCHED! MONITORING SOLUTIONS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE OPERATORS FROM THE SPACE ECONOMY
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Buckle up, because this session is taking you into low earth orbit! Peter Weaver with Orbital Sidekick (OSK) will talk about how companies are utilizing the commercial space marketplace to offer new monitoring services. These services, becoming available in a myriad of forms, stand to revolutionize how infrastructure operators obtain critical information about their assets and the many threats to their assets. Attendees will hear about the technology that OSK is using, hyperspectral imagery for remote sensing, and how the company is in the process of deploying a constellation of hyperspectral monitoring satellites capable of persistently detecting and rapidly reporting on vapor releases and small oil spills, vegetative encroachments, physical intrusions and new construction activity. The session will share examples of how hyperspectral imagery and their analytical capabilities are enabling us to “see the unseen,” and thereby more rapidly respond to threats or hazards before they pose greater threats to our communities or the infrastructure itself.
Utility and pipeline operators will increasingly face critical decisions as to how they invest in ongoing operational integrity, and this session will prompt conversations that will aid in this decision making for organizations in the months and years ahead.
Presenter: Peter Weaver, Orbital Sidekick Satellite
NEXT PRACTICES UPDATE FROM COMMON GROUND ALLIANCE
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Common Ground Alliance is the national association dedicated to protecting the underground utility infrastructure and the people who excavate, live and work near it. For more than 20 years, CGA has brought stakeholders together to establish Best Practices, quantify the number of estimated damages and near-miss events occurring annually across the country in the DIRT Report, and develop effective campaigns designed to increase awareness of 811 and the damage prevention process.
Damages to buried utilities cost the U.S. an estimated $30 billion annually. In response, this session will educate attendees on CGA’s Next Practices initiative, which is encouraging innovation and new practices to address the most critical challenges facing the industry, as well as the initiative’s “Pathways to Improving U.S. Damage Prevention.” Learn what data and resources are available for your use to help support this and other key CGA initiatives that may impact your organization and the industry.
Presenter: Khrysanne Kerr, Vice President, Marketing & Outreach/Common Ground Alliance
INDIANA DIG LAW 101
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This session is the ideal first stop at the conference for any first-time attendees who work in Indiana. It will provide attendees with an introduction to the Indiana dig law, including sections on notification, marking, safe excavation near marked lines and enforcement of the dig law. Specifically, attendees will learn what the Indiana Dig Law (IC 8-1-26) is and the major areas it covers, the enforcement process for the Indiana Dig Law, including mandatory training/fining structure, as well as practical, on-the-job guidance for excavating within the Indiana Dig Law.
Presenter: Steve Baker, Co-Owner/Baker Utility Partners
RECIPE FOR DISASTER! THE TOP FIVE THEMES OF WORKPLACE INCIDENTS
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This session will unpack the five common issues or themes that are present in all incidents as found during review of near-miss incident reports, line-of-duty (workplace) death investigations and incident case studies. Attendees will learn about "Crew Resource Management" (CRM), a concept that is used throughout the aviation community, and how it is a possible solution to avoid these five issues. Supervisors will walk away with the knowledge needed to better develop job-site emergency response plans and site safety plans.
Presenter: Larry Hamby, Indiana Department of Homeland Security
SUCCESSFUL UTILITY COORDINATION DURING DESIGN = SUCCESSFUL CONTRACTOR CONSTRUCTION
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The launch of the Purple Line BRT, a 14-mile Bus Rapid Transit corridor in Indianapolis, required stakeholder coordination and cooperation to be successful. During this session, utilities and contractors will learn the importance of coordinating with the designers during the design phase, and how it reduces the risk and delays often encountered by contractors during the construction phase. Attendees will hear a first-hand account of the Purple Line BRT project and how the design evolved throughout the process, and learn why coordinating with utility engineers during the project set up proved to be extremely important for a smooth construction phase and overall success.
Presenters: Sandra Jones, Senior Lead Consultant, Civil Engineer of Utility Coordination & Design/WSP; Kevin Hintz, P.E.,Utility & Railroad Coordination Department Head/Butler, Fairman & Seufert; Theresa Mendoza, Project Manager/Indianapolis DPW
DATA BASICS - HOW VISUALIZING YOUR DATA CAN IMPROVE DAMAGE PREVENTION
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Though data can seem overwhelming at first, knowing how to use it is especially important in the damage prevention industry. The good news is that getting started with visualizing data is easier than you may think. This session will cover the basics of how you can use the data you already have, how you can learn to better understand the information you already have and examples of some trends the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) has found with data visualization. This session will also explore ways the IURC can help you and your organization get started with data visualization. Attendees will walk away from this session with the basic knowledge needed to begin putting existing data to good use in guiding damage prevention initiatives.
Presenter: Darby Reagan Miller, UPPA Fund Manager/Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission
ADAPT AND OVERCOME: HOW TO PROPERLY MANAGE CHANGE AND CREATE INNOVATION
It’s no secret we’ve all had to learn to adapt to change and innovation in nearly all aspects of life over the last year and a half. This presentation covers the importance of encouraging change and innovation within a company, and how to ensure that changes are accepted. Attendees will learn why we are hesitant to have change, and the tools to ensure that change is easily accepted on both a company productivity level and a company culture level. The session will also cover innovation, which is the pinnacle of change, and how to ensure innovation is accepted, encouraged within the company culture, and finally, how to properly implement it.
Presenter: John Brix, International Safety Speaker
UNDERSTANDING PIPELINE SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND DAMAGE PREVENTION
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Pipeline Safety Management Systems (PSMS) programs focus on risk management, including risk identification, prevention, and mitigation, as well as the promotion of positive safety cultures, and an environment that encourages the recognition of lessons learned and continuous improvement. Although PSMS is currently a voluntary recommended practice, this session will dive into how it is increasingly becoming recognized by pipeline operators and their contractors as an effective approach for enhancing safety and reducing incidents.
Presenter: Steve Allen, Executive Director of Pipeline Safety/Energy Worldnet
A MORE EFFICIENT, RESPONSIVE AND SAFER DAMAGE PREVENTION ECOSYSTEM
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Stakeholders in the damage prevention space work diligently to improve damage prevention results every year. Despite this, damage rates have flattened and even increased since 2015, after steady improvements in years prior. Could the industry have reached “peak damage prevention” for what is possible under the current damage prevention system and paradigm? Are improvements in damage prevention still possible or realistic with the stakeholders just working harder, or are changes to the system needed for significant further improvements? This session will explore these questions, investigate the conflicting interests of the key stakeholders, and propose some changes to the current damage prevention system, which may yield better public safety results for all and lower costs for the facility owners.
Presenter: Jemmie Wang, Partner/BizMetrix, LLC
PUBLIC VS PRIVATE UTILITY LOCATING: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Having an understanding of the differences between “public” and “private” utilities is critical to ensuring a safe dig site. This session will help attendees to understand the differences between public & private utilities, and to become aware of the best ways to avoid utility damages and strikes. Finally, attendees will leave with a better understanding of the different technologies used in public and private locating.
Presenter: Tracy Pursell, VP/Blood Hound
LONE WORKER SECURITY: STAYING SAFE IN A VIOLENT WORLD
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Being aware of your surroundings and learning to recognize and heed nuances of danger could save your life. In this fast-moving session, we will learn where our greatest threats come from, how to reduce risk and skills for dealing with danger. Why do we often get “a bad feeling” about a person or situation? We will discover where that feeling comes from and why we should trust it. Additionally, we will look at recent trends and case studies for lessons learned.
Presenter: Carol Dodgen, Owner/Dodgen Security Consulting Company
DISSECTING THE ANATOMY OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
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Whether you’re a project owner, engineer, facility owner, surveyor, locator or contractor, chances are you are involved in construction projects in some capacity. This session will dive into a step-by-step analysis of the three different types of projects, including design engineer, surveyor, and contractor projects, showing when and where the most typical problems are born and how collectively to mitigate them. Attendees will learn how the parties involved in a construction project can work together toward the common goals of better communication, reducing unnecessary locates, eliminating damages and utility conflicts, and much more.
Presenter: Kurt Youngs, President/Youngs Excavating, Inc.
STORYTELLING BRAIN
Americans are still having to adjust to ever changing public health protocols, which continue to impact work and home life resulting in new forms of stress. This session will focus on the subconscious mind and how it manages stress, including the differences between real stress and false signals of stress. Attendees will also learn about the way fear becomes contagious and the physiological effects of repeat stress, resulting in adrenal fatigue, and most importantly, strategies for thriving in stressful situations.This top-ranked speaker’s second session at the 2021 MWDPTC is one you won’t want to miss!
Presenter: John Brix, International Safety Speaker