Nevada Regional Common Ground Alliance

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  • 2016 Year in Review

    2016 YEAR IN REVIEW

    • March: NRCGA set up a booth at the CGA’s annual Excavation Safety Conference & Expo, March 8 – 10, at the Mirage in Las Vegas. NRCGA members Craig Rogers & Bob Ward provided two educational sessions, one on common sense locates and another on excavator training.
    • April – May: NRCGA contracted ELM Locating & Utility Services to provide Introduction to Damage Prevention training to approximately 50 line locators in Elko, Reno and Las Vegas. The training was funded through the NRCGA’s Technical Assistance Grant award provided by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration.
    • May – June: NRCGA sponsored the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association and NUCA golf tournaments in Las Vegas. The NRCGA also sponsored an ACGPAC golf tournament in Northern Nevada. At each tournament, the NRCGA set up a tent to promote the NRCGA and 811. Volunteers distributed golf divot repair tools as swag.
    • September: NRCGA hosted its Annual Contractor Recognition/Safe Event in Carson City with 60 excavators in attendance. Granite Construction won the NRCGA’s “Ken Jones Memorial Award” for most dig tickets requested and zero at-fault damages. Jet Plumbing and Lakeside Excavating were also recognized for safe digging practices.
    • November: NRCGA hosted the Excavator Appreciation Event in Henderson with more than 100 excavators and line locators in attendance. The NRCGA Board of Directors selected Byrd Underground for the Silver Shovel Award based on the number of new tickets called in by the organization and no at-fault damages from May 2015 – May 2016. The City of North Las Vegas came in second and received a plaque for outstanding performance. Byrd Underground’s award includes a free trip for one representative to attend the CGA’s 2017 Excavation Safety Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida. Justin McCarger became the NRCGA’s first ever Locator of the Year. Brandon Soma received the NRCGA’s first ever Outstanding Performance Award. McCarger’s award includes a free trip to the 2017 International Utility Locate Rodeo in Dallas, Texas.
    • January – December: More than 1,000 excavators statewide Nevada received the NRCGA’s Excavator Safety Training.

  • 100+ attend Nov. 3 Excavator Appreciation Event in Henderson

    Billy Byrd, with Byrd Underground, accepts the Silver Shovel Award. His son, Tyler Byrd, stands to his left.
    Buddy and Tyler Byrd accept the Silver Shovel Award. A representative from Senator Joe Heck’s office stands to the far left.

    More than 100 excavators, locators, regulators and utility workers attended the NRCGA’s Nov. 3 annual Excavator Appreciation Event at the Henderson Convention Center. Highlights of the night included a BBQ dinner, lots of raffle tickets, and the announcement of the Silver Shovel Award winner. New to this year’s event was the NRCGA’s first-ever Locator of the Year award presentation.

    This year’s silver shovel trophy was awarded to Byrd Underground/Ditch Diggers. In addition to Byrd, the City of North Las Vegas was also in the running for the award. The City of North Las Vegas received a plaque for outstanding performance. Both Byrd and the city were nominated for the award by the NRCGA’s Silver Shovel Committee based on the number of new tickets called in by the organization and no at-fault damages between May 2015 and May 2016. Members of the NRCGA’s Board of Directors conducted in-person interviews with representatives of both organizations in Oct. to determine the winner. Byrd also received one free trip to the Common Ground Alliance’s March 2017 Excavation Safety Conference & Expo in Florida.

    Justin McCarger became the NRCGA’s first ever Locator of the Year and Brandon Soma received the NRCGA’s first ever outstanding performance award. Both McCarger, who resides and locates in the Reno area, and Soma, who resides and locates in southern Nevada, are employees of ELM Locating & Utility Services. Months prior to the event, the NRCGA asked eligible organizations with locate staff to submit applicants for the award. In order to be considered, a locator must have worked for the organization for at least one full year and have had zero at-fault damages between May 2015 and May 2016. Members of the NRCGA’s Board of Directors held in-person interviews with the locator nominees in Oct. to determine the winner. In addition to a silver belt buckle, McCarger also received a paid trip to Texas to participate in the 2017 International Locate Rodeo.

    To determine the 2017 Locator of the Year, the NRCGA has begun planning the first annual Nevada locate rodeo. For more information on the Nevada locate rodeo, attend the NRCGA’s monthly meetings or email info@nrcga.org.

  • 11th Annual Contractor Recognition/Safe Event held in Carson City

    nncrse1By Jay Mendiola

    The 11th Annual Contractor Recognition/SAFE Event was held in Northern Nevada on September 21, 2016, at the Carson Nugget in Carson City. There were approximately 60 people in attendance. The participants enjoyed a buffet breakfast while they listened to the presentation by Patrice Heyer from USAN. The presentation covered NRS requirements, NAC requirements, 5 steps to a safe excavation and new website enhancements at USAN. After the presentation, awards were given to excavators in three categories.
    The category winners were:

    • Granite Construction (>=201 Tickets)
    • Jet Plumbing (51 – 200 Tickets)
    • Lakeside Excavating (5 – 50 Tickets)

    This year, the top category was named the “Ken Jones Memorial Award.” This award is in honor of Ken Jones for his dedication to damage prevention. While he worked at the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, Ken devoted the majority of his time to damage prevention. He was instrumental in educating excavators, utility operators and the public about damage prevention. During his tenure, the number of damages in Nevada dropped drastically. This was, in a big part, due to Ken and his passion for underground utility safety. With this award, Ken’s legacy will live on.

  • And Nevada’s Silver Shovel winner is . . .

    The NRCGA hosted its annual Excavator Appreciation event on November 5, 2015, at the Henderson Convention Center, with 74 people attending! Robert Ward, NV Energy, was the event chairperson. During his presentation at the event, he spoke about teamwork. Tom Georgi, Las Vegas Valley Water District, and keynote speaker John Marz, councilman for the city of Henderson, also spoke about the importance of damage prevention to keep our communities safe.