Gold Shovel Association

The vision of Gold Shovel standard is a safer north america, achieved by greater transparency in damage prevention performance, through the use of performance measurements, technology, and universal participation in the one-call process. Furthermore, Gold Shovel standard communities are safer, and infrastructure buried below Gold Shovel standard communities is at reduced risk from line strikes. To achieve this ambitious plan, Gold Shovel standard is working with balanced teams of damage prevention experts to draft, refine and broadly deploy damage prevention metrics for all stakeholders. The goal is 50% reduction over 2015 levels in the frequency of damages in north america on professional excavation sites by the end of 2025.

Gold Shovel standard helps municipalities reduce damages to buried assets, saving lives, maximizing commerce, and avoiding wasteful use of municipal resources (such as first-responders and police). Goal is to have more than half of north american municipalities rely on gss metrics when hiring, establishing or renewing franchise rights and offering permits by the end of 2025.

Work to establish innovative partnerships between utilities (electric, gas, pipelines, telecommunication, sewer and water / wastewater) known as Gold Shovel standard communities, to collaboratively form ever-expanding regions of increased safety and decreased risk to buried infrastructure. The goal is to have more than 100 Gold Shovel standard communities established throughout north america by the end of 2025.