Chapter 4
4.18 Quality Assurance
Practice Statement:
Underground facility owners/operators have a quality assurance program in place for monitoring the locating and marking of facilities.7
Practice Description:
The process of conducting audits for locates is a critical component to the protection of underground facilities. The recommended components listed below are assembled from multiple sources and are meant to provide general guidelines for auditing the work of locators. Components:
A. Conduct field audits and choose some locations to be audited/surveyed purely at random.
B. Check accuracy to within, governed, contractual, and minimum tolerance levels.
C. Measure timeliness, as defined by regulation/statute.
D. Check completion of a request.
E. Check evidence of accurate and proper communication.
F. Check that proper documentation exists.
G. Check than an audit/survey is documented.
H. Communicate results to applicable personnel.
I. Trace audits for trend analysis.
J. Verify proper hook-up and grounding procedures where applicable.
K. Verify the reference material used to document that the locate was up to date (electronic plans or paper plans).
L. Verify that appropriate safety equipment and procedures were used by the locator.
M:Verify that tools and equipment are in proper working order and properly calibrated.
References:
Health Consultants Incorporated; Central Locate Services, LTD; Great Plains Locating, ATCO Gas; Utiliquest