Off Site
Resources
These multimedia resources include videos, reports, articles, and more to support the ground disturbance professional community. We highlight content created by NAPUA members, committees, and other outside resources.
ACTS Townhall
Shifting Mindsets Beyond the Locate – The Role of the Damage Prevention Specialist
In this ACTS Town Hall discussion, members of NAPUA’s Technical Advisory & Standards Committee (TASC) explore how the traditional role of the private locator is evolving into the Damage Prevention Specialist.
Locating buried utility infrastructure is a process. Once the locate is completed and the information is delivered, understanding its limitations, identifying gaps, verifying information where necessary, and determining how that information will be applied during ground disturbance becomes a safety practice.
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For decades, experienced private locate professionals have been leveraged by Ground Disturbance Professionals to help navigate this operational phase. In this ACTS Town Hall, NAPUA TASC members discuss how that expanded responsibility has evolved beyond traditional private locating and into the role NAPUA defines as the Damage Prevention Specialist.
American Locator
Your Private Locator is Capable of More than Marking Lines
The private locate profession has evolved beyond identifying and marking buried utility infrastructure. This article explores how experienced private locate professionals are increasingly being leveraged to investigate uncertainty, interpret locate information, communicate residual risk, and help Ground Disturbance Professionals make more informed decisions before ground disturbance begins.
Holding Back Disaster
Holding Back Disaster: Protecting Lives and Infrastructure Through Excavation Damage Prevention
Written by NAPUA Board Members Scott Landes and Benjamin R. Dierker, Holding Back Disaster explores the history, challenges, and future of excavation damage prevention, including the risks associated with privately owned buried utility infrastructure beyond the traditional 811 process.
Innovation & Infrastructure Review
Completing the Ground Disturbance Lifecycle: Lasting Change Through Professional Accountability and Private Integration
Developed by NAPUA for publication with the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii), this paper introduces the Ground Disturbance Lifecycle Framework and examines the operational phase where planning, notification, locate information, and field conditions must be translated into safe ground disturbance decisions.
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The paper explores how field verification, private locating, and the evolving role of the Damage Prevention Specialist can help Ground Disturbance Professionals identify and manage unresolved risk before ground disturbance begins. We thank Aii for providing the opportunity to bring this discussion to a broader infrastructure and policy audience.
