News

Wright Tree Service Becomes Gold Shovel Certified

April 6, 2017

Wright Tree Service of the West recently became Gold Shovel Certified. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) launched the Gold Shovel Standard, a first-of-its kind excavation safety program designed to reduce dig-ins and protect PG&E’s underground gas and electric system. PG&E developed the Gold Shovel Standard Certification process to ensure that PG&E’s hired contractors adhere to the safest excavation standards. Safe excavation prevents injuries, property damage, inconvenient outages, project delays and high costs.

Every six minutes in the United States, an underground utility line is damaged during excavation work. In 2014, PG&E experienced nearly 2,000 dig-ins to our underground facilities—that’s almost six dig-ins per day, resulting in $11 million in damage for the year.

To become Gold Shovel certified, Wright Tree Service of the West must perform no more than two dig-ins within a rolling 12-month period and develop and adhere to a Dig-In Prevention Policy that includes the following:

  • Excavation Statement signed by a corporate officer or owner
  • Training Program covering the requirements of the One Call Law and Cal-OSHA’s Construction Safety Orders (Learn about the One Call Law at carcga.org and Cal-OSHA’s Construction Safety Orders at dir.ca.gov.)
  • Corrective Action Plan identifying dig-in causes and corrective measures
  • Employee Acknowledgment and Accountability Statement giving all employees a way to report company activity that violates excavation laws without fear of retribution

Once Wright Tree Service of the West receives three validated at-fault dig-ins to our underground facilities, the details of these dig-ins will be sent to the Gold Shovel Standard Review Committee and a contractor status will be determined.

For more information about the program, visit the PG&E or Gold Shovel Standard website.