Front Matter

Preface vii

Chapter 1: Subsurface Utility Damage Prevention 1

 Introduction 1

 One-Call Process 2

 Evolution of Damage Prevention 3

 Damage Prevention Acts 4

 Definition of Key Terms 5

 Causes and Trends of Damages 9

 Affected Services per Type of Employer 13

 No Locate Request 13

 The Cost of Damages 14

 References 16

 Appendix A: State Law Variations 17

Chapter 2: One-Call Centers 21

 Introduction 21

 Damage Prevention Act 22

 Act Enforcement and Dispute Resolutions 23

 Educational Outreach 24

 Subsurface Utility Engineering—CI/ASCE 38-02 25

 Case Study—North Carolina One Call Center (NC 811) 27

 References 30

Chapter 3: Designers’ and Contractors’ Duties 33

 Introduction 33

 Design Phase 34

 Construction Phase 35

 Desirable Excavator Actions 35

 Safe Excavation Process 38

 Undesirable Excavator Actions 41

 Homeowners’ Responsibilities 43

 References 46

 Appendix A: Locate Request Example 47

 Appendix B: Excavators’ Duties—Selected Law Languages 48

Chapter 4: Utility Owners’ and Locators’ Duties 53

 Introduction 53

 Desirable Actions 54

 Undesirable Actions 61

 Utility Owners’ Actions—Case Studies 63

 References 64

Chapter 5: Claim Resolution and Damage Investigation 67

 Introduction 67

 Federal Oversight 67

 Variety of Enforcement Models 71

 Damage Investigation 75

 References 80

 Appendix A: Incident Investigation Report 81

 Appendix B: The Key Findings of the Durham Gas Explosion 85

 Appendix C: Damage Investigation Sample 90

Index 95

About the Authors 99

The 2017 infrastructure report card created by ASCE was designed to evaluate the current state of America’s essential services such as energy, rail, bridges, and water. ASCE produces a letter grade, much like those in our children’s report cards. Sadly, the grade of our nation’s infrastructure was a disappointing D+. One of the key recommendations was the replacement of aging facilities. While the 2021 report has shown improvement to a grade of C+, recommendations to replace aging infrastructure remain a high priority. Accommodating the work to make this happen will mean increased excavation activity. The subject of this book is how to protect the existing infrastructure while working around it or replacing it.

Excavation in the United States happens thousands of times every day. Some of this work, as indicated, is done to repair damaged facilities. However, most of the work is done to install new facilities by professional contractors. In addition to the brand-new infrastructure being placed daily, infrastructure is placed at risk by excavation activities that are not associated with utilities. Those affected include homeowners, nurseries, fence companies, agriculture, and many other types of digging and demolition. This book explores the evolution of the protection of millions of miles of underground utilities in the United States from every kind of activity that disturbs the Earth.

While it is impossible to include every nuance of the laws in each state, the authors provide an overview of the process that is generally followed across the United States. For more specific details about individual state laws or enforcement practices, links are provided in an appendix, as well as in a summary matrix, providing a current snapshot of key differences such as tolerance zones, exemptions, and wait times for excavators.

If terms such as “tolerance zone” are not clear to readers now, they will be by the time they finish reading this book. It can be read cover to cover or used as a reference when looking into one’s unique situation.

A key caveat is that this book does not answer questions about the legality of any specific issue being experienced by the reader. The purpose is to make the full process understood and to provide insight into how the various laws are enforced. It should also be understood that laws are constantly changing, so this book represents a snapshot of the industry as of 2020.

As discussed, the safety and protection of assets are a shared responsibility. We hope that this book helps to reveal the role that all stakeholders in the process contribute to the reduction of injuries and damage to property.