Features

NMPRC: Working for you

It has been said that the greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. Sandy Jones, Chairman of the New Mexico Public Regulatory Commission aims high.

He gets it. Protecting New Mexico’s vital infrastructure and making the state a safer place to live and work is aiming high. Such an undertaking is not for the faint of heart. Chairman Jones brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding to any discussion involving the need for a stronger and more effective damage prevention program. Most of his life has revolved around construction work. He founded and operated Sandy Jones Construction, a statewide road construction company for 25 years, and he talks about those days with the same kind of pride a father would talk about his son.

Sandy said, “Well, of course, we made mistakes and we had damages. But one of the things I am very proud of is that during all those years we were billed for very few, meaning that when the investigations were completed, we were considered not to be at fault.” His secret to developing such a remarkable record? “Well truthfully, we were lucky, but we were also very careful. It’s a matter of pride. We didn’t want to create disruptions in services for the customer, nor shut down our job as the result of our own carelessness.”

He went on to say, “I believe one of the reasons we were successful was that on every job we took the time to get to know the utility folks we worked with. We made it personal. We worked hard to build meaningful relationships and I’m convinced it works just as well today.”

Nobody wants to have damages. The integrity of the utility’s infrastructure is compromised, the excavator experiences lost time and unnecessary expense, and the customer can be inconvenienced or at times put in harm’s way. Keeping all citizens of New Mexico safe and protecting the state’s vital infrastructure is the Public Regulatory Commission’s (PRC) motivation in developing a fair and effective damage prevention program.

“The objective of effective enforcement is damage prevention, and damage prevention benefits everybody,” he explained the PRC’s commitment to public safety. “You don’t just start fining people. Hitting someone with a fine for making a mistake just makes folks angry. Effective enforcement is designed to change behaviors. To expect acceptable behaviors, we must first educate all stakeholders to those behaviors. Education is the key.”

Effective enforcement in any state is a work in progress. It requires a willingness to continue to look for ways of making it fair. Working out the bugs in any process requires input from interested parties. Stakeholder groups must actively get involved in the process. When it is seen as fair, it will be effective.

Chairman Jones continued, “Fines are always a last resort. Fines are reserved for those who steadfastly refuse to respect the facilities, their right-of-ways, or their own personal role in adhering to the standards established by our state.”

It is not unreasonable to have higher expectations for those involved in the construction industry. “Things were a lot different twenty years ago. People didn’t know to call. There weren’t as many underground facilities carrying the kinds or amounts of emergency information as there is today. It is critical that all stakeholders view their role as the vital link to public safety,” he said.

When asked about New Mexico One Call, he quickly stated, “The One Call system is absolutely critical to our success in New Mexico. Obviously, they bear the responsibility for notifying members of intent to dig. We’ve also seen much progress in both reliability of operation and quality of service provided. One Call has been proactive on behalf of members and users alike in providing new services like our eticket. No longer will an excavator have to wait until a particular hour to call in a request. He can schedule his work at a more convenient time for him.”

“New Mexico One Call has been actively involved in developing training used to educate all stakeholders about the excavation law. I think it is a natural fit for them and have expectations that they will continue to take the lead in training efforts in the future,” Sandy said.

“Let me say one more thing about One Call,” he said. “As we move forward in our damage prevention efforts, one of the important issues of tomorrow will be to ensure that the one call system is properly and fairly funded. This is an issue that will require much thought, but it is an issue that will ultimately determine our continued success.”

While the specifics of ensuring New Mexico One Call is prepared to handle the challenges of tomorrow, it is encouraging to know that we are contemplating the challenges today. Perhaps that explains the positive attitudes encountered about the future of damage prevention across the state. From operator to locator, from legislator to regulator, and from CSR to excavator, we are beginning to believe that it’s not just good business to work together; it’s simply the right thing to do.