Mission
Gold Shovel Standard (GSS) is a nonprofit organization committed to protecting the integrity of buried infrastructure by improving transparency and accountability in the industry. GSS believes improved accountability practices and increased visibility will reduce the number of damaging infrastructure strikes and create a safer industry overall.
Vision
Gold Shovel Standard envisions a safer North America, achieved by greater transparency in damage prevention performance, through the use of performance measurements, technology, and universal participation in the one-call process.
Goals by 2025
- Reduce the frequency of line strikes to underground infrastructure by 50%.
- Certify a majority of North American municipalities so they rely on GSS metrics when hiring, establishing or renewing franchise rights and offering permits.
- Establish more than 100 Gold Shovel Standard Communities in North America.
- More than 75% of insurance companies consider GSS-supported metrics when establishing policies for excavators or locators.
Our Guiding Principles
GSS is focused on improving safety and expanding opportunities for stakeholders in an era of tremendous infrastructure growth. We are guided by our commitment to:
- Use non-punitive damage reporting to derive metrics
- Avoid judgment, ratings or policing activities
- Use data to drive transparency
- Avoid bureaucracy and ineffective activities
- Make contractors more successful
- Be transparent and fair