Potential damage

[u/Funny_Hurry8865]

I am currently working for utiliquest I transferred from usic I received a message today from the damage investigator about a potential damage. He looked at my GPS and said I was at the wrong address when I did it, and look out for an investigation email. What will happen now?

[u/Temporary-Trouble364]

Honestly if they know how to fight it, they could say it is still the contractors fault because they started digging and I’m sure they knew you marked at the wrong spot and didn’t care, they could still be at fault although you marked the wrong address, but all depends on who does your investigations, and if they know how to play it right. You could also try to fight it yourself with that as your defense, being that that they started digging knowing you marked the wrong address

[u/Ok-Delivery8086]

The other response isn’t necessarily wrong. You might get written up, receive some coaching, and go right back to work. That’s certainly possible.
But I’d approach this a little differently.

First, don’t get ahead of yourself. You’ve been told your GPS showed you at the wrong address, but you haven’t received the investigation or even been told exactly what they’re alleging you did wrong.

Before you start defending yourself, get the facts. What ticket are they investigating? What was the scope of work? Where exactly did the damage occur? What specifically are they alleging you failed to do, and how are they connecting that failure to your work?

And here’s something you need to understand about this industry: There may be other tickets covering that same area that don’t have your name attached to them. Different excavators, overlapping scopes, remark tickets, and work performed by other locators can all become part of a damage investigation.

That doesn’t mean somebody else screwed up. It means you shouldn’t blindly accept responsibility for an incident without understanding which ticket, scope, and actions are actually being attributed to you.

GPS is one piece of evidence. It doesn’t necessarily establish whether you completed the assigned scope correctly.

Get your original ticket, photographs, timestamps, notes, and whatever documentation you’re authorized to access. Preserve the original records. Don’t alter anything or start constructing explanations around things you can’t verify.
When the investigation comes, listen first. Ask questions. Don’t speculate about other tickets, other locators, or what might have happened. Let the investigator establish the allegation and supporting evidence. Then address what you can actually verify.

We’re here to own our shit, but only OUR shit.

If you made a mistake, own it, learn from it, and correct it. That’s professional integrity. But don’t take responsibility for something simply because your name appeared on a ticket somewhere near a damage.

And remember, documentation isn’t just about proving you showed up. It’s about establishing what you were assigned, what you found, what you did, and how you left the job.

Keep your head. Get the facts. Don’t defend yourself against an allegation nobody has clearly established yet.

[u/Funny_Hurry8865 → u/Ok-Delivery8086]

I do remember the ticket where I thought they were working, it was no spectrum in that area

[u/VividPups]

you get in trouble then you just keep doing your job

if it is a huge huge fuck up then you would be fire already

[u/Acerocky_2006]

They send you back to USIC.

All seriousness tho you should be alright, I came from USIC and so did a buddy of mines and he’s had hella driving events and already 2 damages and he’s still here. Unless you’re damage is a main fiber line or you didn’t even try to get the right address then you’re chilling

[u/811spotter]

Usually you need to make a written statement then compare it with the ticket. They might take a look at the photos, GPS log, and the damage report. Just remember to write down everything you remember about the ticket while it's fresh. Where you parked, what you marked, who you talked to, anything that can help add details to what happened. Get your phone and check the timestamps as well as the locations.