Three MBA students reported the findings of their research on Vermont's Underground Utility Damage Prevention System to representatives from the state's Department of Public Service on April 29. (Photo: Rajan Chawla)

Spending the better part of a year studying Vermont's Underground Utility Damage Prevention System wasn't exactly what graduate students Dave Roberts, Chris Lenox and Alanna Shanley had in mind when they entered UVM's MBA program. A convincing sales pitch from Larry Shirland, professor and associate dean in the School of Business Administration, however, thrust them into the role of state experts and major grant winners.

The students, who accepted the challenge in the spring of 2008, put together a grant application in less than two weeks, resulting in a $98,440 award and a job as the primary subcontractor for Vermont's Department of Public Service (DPS). They used the grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to compile a ground-breaking report (no pun intended) on the state's efforts to prevent damage to underground utilities and serious injury to the individuals doing the digging .

Admittedly, the students had little knowledge of the subject and were only vaguely aware, for example, of the law requiring anyone digging in Vermont soil to call 1-888-DIG-SAFE. When people don't call, which students found to be surprisingly often, the result can be economically and physically damaging. "It was a steep learning curve," said Lenox. "We had real world deadlines to the state and federal government, so we had to become experts as quickly as possible. I would contend that we know more about damage prevention and laws than anyone in the state (aside from DPS)."

Roberts, Lenox and Shanley presented the "Vermont Underground Utility Safety Improvement Project" to DPS employees Hans Mertens, director of Engineering Services and chief engineer, and G.C. Morris, gas utility engineer, on April 29. The report included locations and causes of utility incidents on water, electric, gas, cable and phone lines; market research; surveys and interviews with the state's diverse stakeholders, ranging from companies using large excavators to residents planting trees; research of existing best practices; and trends. Findings included a lack of communication among stakeholders, a low level of involvement from municipalities and "widespread dissatisfaction with regulatory mechanisms and the enforcement process."

"It's a great example of how UVM can be effective in the community," said Shirland. "These students gained valuable experience and helped the state and other organizations at the same time." In addition to gaining valuable market research skills, grant management, and survey data collection, Shanley said they learned how to deal with "passionate opinions on both sides of the issue."

The report offered prioritized recommendations to Vermont's existing practices and identified four general areas in need of improvement: support and partnerships; education and training; communications and outreach; and enforcement and issue resolution. Some general recommendations included the publication of an annual report to enhance awareness and understanding about incident root causes and damage prevention issues; increased state support for stakeholder forums; the development of new communications methods (newsletter, updated website, etc.); and increased education and outreach efforts to municipalities and excavating contractors.

Instead of being on the defensive about the findings and recommendations, both Mertens and Morris said they found the information extremely helpful despite not necessarily agreeing with every finding or suggestion. "I found this to be very productive," said Mertens at the meeting. "You really dug into some stuff and answered some very complicated questions. This report is going to be a very usable and productive product for the state and PHMSA."