Atmos Energy 2015 Annual Report Download - page 9

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14 15
Since 2006, Atmos Energy has conducted one of the industry’s best public awareness
programs to reach the 23 million adults in our service areas, 31,000 public and school
officials, 13,000 emergency officials and 219,000 professional excavators. Independent
opinion research shows that our messages are getting through.
A compelling example is Call 811. Since the national One-Call number went into effect
in 2007, pipeline damages on Atmos Energy’s system have dropped dramatically, declining
from 4.0 damages per 1,000 line locates in 2008 to 2.8 in 2015.
According to the Common Ground Alliance, calling 811 has reduced the risk of
damaging a pipeline to less than 1 percent if an excavator calls 811, waits until the buried
utility lines are marked and then observes the markings on the ground while digging.
At a day-long, free workshop about the
science, engineering and technology of natural gas distri-
bution systems, pipeline inspectors from states in which we
operate learn to fuse high-density polyethylene pipe. The
training, held at our Charles K. Vaughan Center, gives the
officials, many who are new to their job, hands-on experi-
ence with typical assets they will find in our operations.
Calling 811, the national
toll-free number to have
all underground utility lines
located and marked, has dra-
matically reduced third-party
damages to pipelines and
utility facilities. We publicize
calling 811 through regional
and national advertising, cus-
tomer bill inserts, community
safety events, damage preven-
tion programs for professional
excavators and support for the
national Common Ground
Alliance and our states’ dam-
age prevention councils.
Raising awareness with school officials about pipeline
safety, especially at schools near our high-pressure pipeline rights
of way, is a major program we began in 2015. At the Caddo Mills
Middle School in Caddo Mills, Texas, Terry Katenkamp, a field
construction coordinator in our Mid-Tex Division, shows Principal
Anne Payne the safest route for buses to take away from our trans-
mission line in case of an evacuation.
Increasing public awareness about natural gas safety is the best and most
effective defense to prevent pipeline incidents. Increasing Public Awareness
about Pipeline Safety