PUC Damage Prevention Committee Fines Underground Facility Owners, Excavators and Project Owners $119,000 For Violations

On June 17, a total of 228 disciplinary actions, including $119,600 in administrative penalties, have been taken against 79 underground facility owners, excavators and project owners in the latest enforcement actions by the Public Utility Commission’s Damage Prevention Committee.

These actions were taken during the DPC’s June 2020 telephonic meeting. The DPC 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.

Digging Safety – PA One Call

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.

Visit the PUC’s PA One Call Enforcement webpage to learn more.

(Photo: What happens when a backhoe hits an unmapped natural gas gathering line.)

[Posted: June 17, 2020]  PA Environment Digest