Page 10 - Louisiana 811 Magazine 2020 Issue 3

Courtesy Stops I
By Michael Downes 811 Magazines
Atmos Energy’s Ambassador Program
State and federal regulators require pipeline companies to routinely monitor their facilities for hazards and damage. But an industry leader has taken that to the next level, and now follows up with excavators as crews drive across the state.
Last year, Atmos Energy rolled out a new Damage Prevention Ambassador program in eight states, including Louisiana. After just one year, they’re already seeing a reduction in damages.
“The program has worked very well,” according to David Raymond, Operations Manager with Atmos Energy in Lafayette. “Damages dropped off 22 percent from the previous year, although we can’t credit all of the drop to the Ambassador Program primarily due to COVID-19 effects, but we are making stops and seeing that damages are dropping.”
The Ambassador Program marries technology with good old-fashioned representation in the field. About 235 employees have been trained to document the stops via an app, where the app
is installed on a mobile device like a smartphone or iPad, which helps track their interactions with excavators.
The Ambassadors are primarily those who drive a company vehicle and are typically in the field during a significant portion of their day. The purpose of the program is to engage with excavators operating near Atmos infrastructure.
“We use a mobile app called iAuditor that allows a person with the app to stop at an active excavation site while they’re on their way from Point A to Point B in a company vehicle,” David said.
Many employees know generally where company infrastructure is, which
can be confirmed by Atmos Energy pipeline markers at road, water and railroad crossings as well as through the company’s GIS maps. When they notice an excavator working near Atmos Energy mains or services lines, they can pull over and launch the app to document their
8 • Louisiana 811
2020, Issue 3