Chapter 4
4.2 Corrections and Updates
Practice Statement:
If a facility locator becomes aware of an error or omission, then the facility locator provides information for updating records that are in error or for adding new facilities.
Practice Description:
During the course of a locating activity, a locator may become aware of errors or omissions. Methods are in place to notify a facility owner/operator of that error or omission. The corrections are submitted to the appropriate person or department in a timely manner. The method of notification is determined by the facility owner/operator and includes the following information:
- Name (and company if contracted)
- Contact phone number of the individual(s) submitting change
- Location (either address or reference points)
- Size and type of facility
- Nature of the error or omission
- Sketch of the change in relation to the other facilities
Omissions and errors may occur as a result of misdrawn records, changes during construction at the job site, repair or abandonment of facilities, and delays in posting new records. Failure to note errors or omissions when found could result in damages to the facility at a later date. The 1994 NTSB Excavation Damage Prevention Workshop stated that “facility operators should be required to update maps when excavation finds errors in the mapping system.”1