On June 26, the Public Utility Commission announced the PA 1 Call Damage Prevention Committee took 194 disciplinary actions and imposed $180,850 in penalties against 73 underground facility owners, excavators and project owners in the latest enforcement actions.
The Committee is tasked with enforcing the state’s Underground Utility Line Protection Act – also known as the “PA One Call Law.”
A comprehensive list of summaries and actions from DPC meetings is available on the PUC’s website. Penalties are payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Commission will offset the costs of administering this program through the penalties collected.
Every year, underground lines across the state are struck more than 6,000 times – which means that during the average workday a pipeline or other vital utility system is hit every 20 minutes.
While underground lines are often “out of sight and out of mind,” every hit poses a risk to the contractors and homeowners who are doing the digging; to utility workers and emergency responders who are mobilized when lines are struck; and to bystanders who live, work or travel near the locations of the incidents.
State law requires contractors and residents to contact PA One Call at least three business days prior to excavation – triggering alerts to all utilities within an intended digging area and prompting utilities to mark where their facilities are located.
Pennsylvanians can dial 8-1-1 to connect with the One Call system, while out-of-state residents or businesses can call 1-800-242-1776.
The next meeting of the Committee is July 9.
For more information, visit the PA 1 Call Damage Prevention Committee webpage.
(Photo: What happens when a backhoe hits a natural gas gathering line.)
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