Northeast U.S. Utility
DRG helped develop an efficient solution to inspect a Northeast U.S. utility’s underground cabinets.
The Challenge
Utilities are regulated on the state and federal levels to ensure there is continued customer satisfaction without sacrificing public safety. In Maryland, all utilities are mandated to perform an underground contact voltage inspection annually and report the results to the public utility commission.
An investor-owned utility in Maryland wanted high-quality inspections of their underground cabinets performed in a timely manner. To meet these goals and fulfill the state mandate, the utility partnered with Davey Resource Group, Inc.’s (DRG’s) asset management team to inspect around 25,000 underground cabinets each year.
The Solution
The inspection program is sophisticated in its simplicity. Specially trained crews inspect underground cabinets for properly locked doors, holes, and other possible defects. They also perform a contact voltage test to ensure any potential harm is avoided if the cabinet is touched.
DRG uses the same crews for each inspection to keep the process streamlined and the results consistent. The underground cabinet inspection process takes between three and four months to complete.
The Results
DRG delivers the inspection results in a timely manner, enabling the utility to make any repairs quickly. Since the utility is required to submit the data to the public utility commission, DRG also supplies the data in the format required for reporting, making the process easier for the utility to complete.
Because of DRG’s consistent, high-quality track record, the Maryland-based utility has contracted DRG to perform the inspections for the next three years.