Every minute on average across the United States, an underground utility line — power, water, internet, natural gas and others — is damaged by digging, posing a deadly risk to workers and disrupting vital community services.
To address this critical safety issue within a vital segment of the industry, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) announced the launch of a free, online, Spanish-language version of its excavator safety training and certification curriculum.
According to CGA's recent Economic Impact Report, damage to underground utilities costs the U.S. economy an estimated $83.2 billion annually. Critically, direct repairs represent just 5.9 percent of that total, meaning for every dollar spent fixing a damaged line, nearly $16 more is lost to service disruptions, emergency response, community damage, injuries and loss of life.
The launch is supported by a new Spanish-language marketing campaign in key U.S. markets— including Ca., Texas, Fla., Ariz., and N.Y — to drive enrollment among Spanish-speaking construction, landscaping and fence-building professionals.
Representing a significant and growing part of the workforce, the percentage of Hispanic/Latino workers in the U.S. construction industry alone has doubled since 2000.
“Protecting our essential frontline workers is at the core of CGA's mission," said Common Ground Alliance President and CEO Sarah Magruder Lyle. "This program is about saving lives and helping you get home safely to your family after a long day on the job. By providing this critical safety training free of charge and in Spanish, we're putting key resources into the hands of Hispanic/Latino excavation professionals to help protect themselves, their colleagues and their communities.”
The self-paced, online curriculum provides comprehensive training on safe digging practices, including how to use the 811 system to have underground utility lines marked before digging. Learners will earn a certificate of completion in excavation safety.
The new program and awareness campaign are the result of a multi-year effort by CGA to make utility damage prevention awareness and educational resources more accessible to all industry professionals.
