2019 DIRT REPORT
Estimating Total U.S. Damages •
• •
A statistical model that incorporates DIRT data, One Call Systems International (OCSI) transmission data, and digging activity indicators is applied to generate the estimate of total U.S. damages. Estimated damages were up 4.5% year-over-year in 2019. While construction spending was flat, data shows more transmissions per construction dollar spent in 2019. This suggests that the trend of rising damages correlates with the rise in transmissions, and that the damage prevention system is becoming stressed.
Estimating the annual total of damages to buried utilities is a primary objective of the DIRT Report, because it helps the damage prevention industry understand the full scope of our challenges and successes. To generate the estimate of total U.S. damages, CGA’s Data Reporting and Evaluation Committee engages a consultant (Green Analytics) to develop a statistical model predicting total U.S. damage events based on DIRT data and a number of other variables which are statistically assessed for correlation with the number of reported damages by state. Appendix D explains in detail the process followed by Green Analytics. Table 3 presents key performance indicators generated using the prediction models. Indicators are presented for total estimated damages and one call transmissions for the U.S. over time. Figure 4 shows this information graphically. Table 3—Key performance indicators for total estimated damages in the U.S., over time 2016
2017
2018
2019
Total Estimated Damages
416,000
439,000
509,000
532,000
Lower Bound Confidence Interval for Total Estimated Damages
201,000
270,000
230,000
430,000
Upper Bound Confidence Interval for Total Estimated Damages
1,159,000
715,000
787,000
666,000
221.9 M
234.9 M
244.3 M
267.6 M
Total Estimated Damages per 1,000 Transmissions
1.88
1.87
2.08
1.99
Total Estimated Damages per million dollars of construction spending (2019 $)
0.319
0.337
0.373
0.390
Total Estimated Transmissions
COMMON GROUND ALLIANCE
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