GAS NETWORKS ‘Dial Before You Dig’ ONLINE SERVICE AWARD

Gas Networks Ireland has received further recognition for its successful ‘Online Dial Before You Dig’ service, by winning the Esri Ireland’s Sharing & Collaboration Customer Success Award for 2020 at the recent virtual ceremony.

 The ‘Dial Before You Dig’ phone and online service provides anyone involved in excavation work to easily access information about the gas network and stay safe by checking the location of underground gas pipes on a site – an essential step before excavation works commence.

The user-centric digital Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping system has been warmly welcomed by the construction industry with over 15,000 maps generated by more than 2,100 registered users since the service went live in October 2019.

Gas Networks Ireland’s Networks Safety Manager, Owen Wilson (left) described the Esri Ireland award as “an important validation” for Gas Networks Ireland and is a reflection of how the company continually improves as a business, and puts safety at the heart of everything.

Gas Networks Ireland’s Design Services Manager, Paul O’Brien, added that they urge all contractors to ‘Dial Before You Dig’; “just pick up the phone or use our online service to avoid causing any damage or disruption to gas pipes, or worse still, injury to people”.

Gas Networks Ireland is responsible for the safety of the 14,521km €2.7bn gas network. In 2019, there were 650 incidents of damage to the low and medium pressure gas distribution networks, mostly in urban and suburban locations, with nearly 50 cases of unauthorised excavation near the high-pressure gas transmission network, mostly located in rural areas. 

Esri Ireland’s Head of Sales, Dermot O’Kane, said that Gas Networks Ireland was chosen as the winner in this category for the standout success of its self-service portal that provides third parties access to GIS asset data. ‘Dial Before You Dig’ was also a finalist in the Networks Awards 2020 ‘Gamechanger’ category.