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Stakeholder Perspective: Chris Runyan
One thing is sure. When trying to gain a better understanding of how best to improve the process of damage prevention, one stakeholder group that will be involved in the discussion will be the excavators. In the past, it may well be that this group has been one of the most misunderstood.
Chris Runyan, President of the Ohio Contractors Association (OCA), wants to make sure that his organization is not only heard, but also seen as a partner in crafting a fair and effective program for Ohio.
Chris begins the interview by saying, “As a statewide business and trade association, OCA’s mission is to provide support, unity and leadership to the heavy highway and utility industry for the success of its membership.”
He continued, “Our members are the constructors of Ohio’s massive public works infrastructure that includes more than 116,200 miles of highways, roads and streets, 42,000 bridges and a million miles of water, sewer, energy, and telecommunication lines.”
Chris Runyan has served as President of OCA for almost four years. He has an extensive background in the industry including consulting roles and more than nine years with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT); he was the Assistant Director and Chief Engineer for ODOT for five years.
OCA has ten chapters across the state and more than 500 active and associated members combined. The association provides a variety of services to their members that range from dealing with regulatory issues to promoting effective safety training and awareness. The association also has a full time lobbyist on staff commissioned to protect the interests of their contractors.
“Of all the topics we discuss, safety is never very far away from our minds,” Chris said. “I listen to stakeholders talk about the excavator having some ‘skin in the game’ of damage prevention and in talks about liability associated with the cost of damage prevention. Our people have arguably the highest exposure of any stakeholder. We’ve got more than skin in the game; we’ve got our people down in the holes. We are not just concerned about being involved in the discussion; we are concerned about the safety of our contractors and excavators across the state.”
He continued, “I’ve heard some say that the contractor is really an intruder who has created the problem. I’m thinking, hey, the contractor was not driving down the road one day and thinking to himself that this looks like a good place to dig a hole. He is out there because some entity, agency or utility company requested his expertise at that location.”
It has been said that in the field, an excavator depends on the working relationships built with other stakeholders, especially the utility locators. Those working together in the field are encouraged to understand the impact to the daily workload of other stakeholders. Not taking the time to build a strong working relationship with them can impact production for everyone involved. When that happens, there are no winners.
Having an accurate locate not only helps protect the underground facilities, but also allows the excavator to work more confidently and cost effectively on every job site. Communicating clearly to the locator, whether by meeting face to face or white striping, helps lessen the strain of keeping up with the difficult workloads.
The same values must be embraced at all levels of stakeholder groups. Whether it is sitting down at a table to discuss legislative issues or undertaking a major utility rebuild, in order to be successful it requires cooperation, coordination and communication.
He continued, “We appreciate Ohio Utilities Protection Service (O.U.P.S.) and the value they bring to the process of damage prevention. The information they provide not only promotes safety of all involved, but also helps promote a more efficient project which is important to our members. I believe Roger Lipscomb has a good vision for O.U.P.S. I hope part of that vision includes having a true one call system in Ohio and requiring every utility be a member. For us, it is not about how many utility owners are members of O.U.P.S.; we just want to have the best information possible to allow for the greatest level of safety and efficiency. Obviously, that happens for us when Roger is able to accomplish his goals.”
Chris thought about the recent attempt to pass legislation (Senate Bill 152) and said, “This past legislative session was the first time I’ve been involved in such an effort that involved so many different perspectives. It was interesting to observe the dynamics as the group changed from a fairly small group to a much larger group.”
“The perspectives changed not only as the result of stakeholder differences, but utility type and even utility size impacted the direction of the discussions. As a first time participant in the process, my impression was that somehow we allowed the beast to get too big. What I’m trying to say is that we lost focus of the original intent of the proposed legislation. Then we ended up with far too many ideas to be addressed until we were left with something that had almost no chance of succeeding. I would urge all stakeholders to work together to keep the legislation manageable, even if we have to go back several times. Again, this was my first time to go through such a process and I’ll be the first to say that I’m still learning, but that is my perspective.”
The future of Ohio looks bright. The stakeholders readily admit that there are differences in perspective, and different interests to consider, but that there is too much at stake to allow what has always been to always be.
Everybody knows that the best way to make progress when you get to the edge of the cliff is to back up.
