Methods and apparatus for assessing risks associated with locate request tickets

Abstract

Locate and/or marking operations involve detecting and/or marking a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. One or more attributes of a locate and/or marking operation requested in a locate request ticket are assessed to provide one or more ticket assessment outcomes. Ticket information is obtained from the locate request ticket and analyzed so as to assign at least one risk designation to the ticket. The risk designation(s) is/are transmitted and/or stored so as to facilitate clearing the locate request ticket and/or dispatching a locate technician to perform the locate and/or marking operation.

1 . An apparatus for assessing risk associated with a locate and/or marking operation requested in a locate request ticket, the locate and/or marking operation comprising detecting and/or marking a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the apparatus comprising:
 at least one communication interface;   at least one memory to store processor-executable instructions; and   at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one memory and the at least one communication interface, wherein, upon execution of the processor-executable instructions, the at least one processor:
 A) analyzes ticket information obtained from the locate request ticket; 
 B) assigns at least one risk designation to the locate request ticket based at least in part on A); and 
 C) controls the at least one communication interface to transmit, and/or controls the at least one memory to store, the at least one risk designation so as to facilitate clearing the locate request ticket and/or dispatching at least one locate technician to perform the locate and/or marking operation, based at least in part on the at least one risk designation. 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one risk designation comprises a numerical score or a descriptive category. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one risk designation is indicative of a likelihood of accident during excavation subsequent to the locate and/or marking operation. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one risk designation is further indicative of an extent of potential damage in an event of an accident during excavation subsequent to the locate and/or marking operation. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the potential damage comprises at least one type of damages selected from a group consisting of: economic loss, damage to property, environmental damage, personal injury, and loss of customer satisfaction. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one risk designation is indicative of a likelihood of accident involving injury to at least one person during excavation subsequent to the locate and/or marking operation. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 in A), the at least one processor recognizes in the ticket information at least one keyword and/or code associated with a high profile facilities type; and   in B), the at least one processor assigns the at least one risk designation based at least in part on the high profile facilities type.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 in A), the at least one processor determines whether a work site location at which the locate and/or marking operation is to be performed is within a threshold distance of a location of a previous accident, mis-locate, or trouble ticket; and   if the locate and/or marking operation to be performed is within the threshold distance, in B), the at least one processor assigns the at least one risk designation based on the previous accident, mis-locate, or trouble ticket.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 in A), the at least one processor further analyzes damage history information regarding an excavator who initiated the locate request ticket; and   in B), the at least one processor assigns the at least one risk designation based at least in part on the damage history information.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, in B), the at least one processor assigns the at least one risk designation based at least in part on at least one complexity designation assigned to the locate request ticket. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein, in B):
 the at least one risk designation comprises a numerical risk score;   the at least one complexity designation comprises at least one complexity reason code; and   the at least one processor scales the numerical risk score using a scaling factor that is determined based at least in part on the at least one complexity reason code.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, in B):
 the at least one risk designation comprises a numerical risk score;   the ticket information indicates a service type requiring a shortened deadline for the locate and/or marking operation; and   the at least one processor scales the numerical risk score using a scaling factor that is determined based at least in part on the service type.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor further:
 determines at least one resource requirement based at least in part on the at least one risk designation.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one resource requirement comprises a technician skill requirement and/or an equipment requirement. 
     
     
         15 . In a system comprising at least one processor, at least one memory, and at least one communication interface, a method for assessing risk associated with a locate and/or marking operation requested in a locate request ticket, the locate and/or marking operation comprising detecting and/or marking a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the method comprising:
 A) analyzing ticket information obtained from the locate request ticket;   B) assigning at least one risk designation to the locate request ticket based at least in part on A); and   C) transmitting and/or storing the at least one risk designation so as to facilitate clearing the locate request ticket and/or dispatching at least one locate technician to perform the locate and/or marking operation, based at least in part on the at least one risk designation.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one risk designation comprises a numerical score or a descriptive category. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one risk designation is indicative of a likelihood of accident during excavation subsequent to the locate and/or marking operation. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the at least one risk designation is further indicative of an extent of potential damage in an event of an accident during excavation subsequent to the locate and/or marking operation. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the potential damage comprises at least one type of damages selected from a group consisting of: economic loss, damage to property, environmental damage, personal injury, and loss of customer satisfaction. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one risk designation is indicative of a likelihood of accident involving injury to at least one person during excavation subsequent to the locate and/or marking operation. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein:
 A) comprises recognizing in the ticket information at least one keyword and/or code associated with a high profile facilities type; and   B) comprises assigning the at least one risk designation based at least in part on the high profile facilities type.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein:
 A) comprises determining whether a work site location at which the locate and/or marking operation is to be performed is within a threshold distance of a location of a previous accident, mis-locate, or trouble ticket; and   if the locate and/or marking operation to be performed is within the threshold distance, B) comprises assigning the at least one risk designation based on the previous accident, mis-locate, or trouble ticket.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein:
 A) further comprises analyzing damage history information regarding an excavator who initiated the locate request ticket; and   B) comprises assigning the at least one risk designation based at least in part on the damage history information.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein B) comprises assigning the risk designation based at least in part on at least one complexity designation assigned to the locate request ticket. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein:
 the at least one risk designation comprises a numerical risk score;   the at least one complexity designation comprises at least one complexity reason code; and   B) comprises scaling the numerical risk score using a scaling factor that is determined based at least in part on the at least one complexity reason code.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the at least one risk designation comprises a numerical risk score;   the ticket information indicates a service type requiring a shortened deadline for the locate and/or marking operation; and   B) comprises scaling the numerical risk score using a scaling factor that is determined based at least in part on the service type.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 determining at least one resource requirement based at least in part on the at least one risk designation.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the at least one resource requirement comprises a technician skill requirement and/or an equipment requirement. 
     
     
         29 . At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with at least one program including processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method for assessing risk associated with a locate and/or marking operation requested in a locate request ticket, the locate and/or marking operation comprising detecting and/or marking a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the method comprising:
 A) analyzing ticket information obtained from the locate request ticket;   B) assigning at least one risk designation to the locate request ticket based at least in part on A); and   C) transmitting and/or storing the at least one risk designation so as to facilitate clearing the locate request ticket and/or dispatching at least one locate technician to perform the locate and/or marking operation, based at least in part on the at least one risk designation.