Holding Back Disaster

Protecting Lives and Infrastructure Through Excavation Damage Prevention
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-35121-4
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 300 Seiten, Format (B × H): 174 mm x 246 mm

Holding Back Disaster: Protecting Lives and Infrastructure Through Excavation Damage Prevention presents a rare system-level account of excavation damage prevention as a form of critical infrastructure, bringing together the people, systems, and practices that protect people and essential infrastructure every day.

Excavation damage to buried infrastructure is one of the most persistent, costly, and under-examined safety problems in the built environment. Each year in the United States alone, millions of excavation activities place buried gas, electric, water, sewer, and telecommunications assets at risk, resulting in fatalities, injuries, service outages, environmental harm, and billions of dollars in economic losses. The book traces the evolution of undergrounding and coordination practices from early utility cooperation through the emergence of One-Call/811 systems, modern locating technologies, and data-driven risk management. Rather than treating utility strikes as a series of isolated failures, the book demonstrates how outcomes are shaped by institutional design, incentives, workforce dynamics, data quality, and regulatory fragmentation. It presents narratives and case studies, supported by real-world incidents, quantitative estimates, and expert perspectives.

This book is essential reading for infrastructure and construction practitioners and leaders who work across excavation, utilities, locating, safety management, and risk.

Zielgruppe

Professional Reference

Autoren/Hrsg.

Dierker, Benjamin R.

Landes, Scott

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Bauindustrie, Baugewerbe
• Technische Wissenschaften Technik Allgemein Technische Zuverlässigkeit, Sicherheitstechnik
• Technische Wissenschaften Bauingenieurwesen Baukonstruktion, Baufachmaterialien
• Technische Wissenschaften Bauingenieurwesen Bauingenieurwesen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Getting Your Bearings. 2. Locating: The Front Line of Damage Prevention. 3. Contractors Doing the Digging. 4. Utilities and Facilities. 5. SUE and Mapping. 6. One-Call Centers and 811. 7. Damage Prevention Fever is Contagious: A case study in passion. 8. Awareness, Education, and Culture. 9. Hurdles and Challenges. 10. Breaking New Ground: Data, Technology, and Talent. 11. Certifications and Career Mobility. 12. Policy, Government, and Oversight. 13. Human Impact. 14. Conclusion.

Über Autor(innen)

Scott Landes is an entrepreneur, inventor, publisher, and global conference founder with more than forty years of leadership in underground infrastructure safety and damage prevention. He is the holder of fourteen patents related to damage-prevention products and systems and is the former co-chair of the Common Ground Alliance Education Committee and recipient of the CGA Jim Barron Award.

Benjamin R. Dierker, JD, MPA is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii), a nonprofit think tank focused on infrastructure systems, safety, resilience, and public policy. He is the author of more than 75 policy reports and a widely cited expert on infrastructure governance and risk.