Page 8 - Louisiana 811 Magazine 2021 Issue 3

See
meters are connected to the building
or a short distance away. If all utilities have metering points connected to the building, then most likely all utilities should be marked on the property from the dig ticket. In many rural areas,
the meter could be at the road or a long distance away from the building. Member companies would most likely only be able to mark up to the meter
or the area that they maintain and operate. Therefore, the area between the meter and the building would not be marked from an 811 dig ticket. A locating gap could exist. It’s important for the excavator to communicate
with the property owner about these situations. An excavator should try to gather information from the property owner regarding where these privately owned utilities exist. Excavators should proceed with caution and look out for unmarked lines. It’s smart to observe any above ground structures that indicate that an underground facility is near.
A lot of responsibility sits on an excavator’s shoulders. Excavators are required to notify 811 a few days prior to digging. If an underground facility
is damaged due to excavation, an investigation would determine if this facility was marked from the 811 dig ticket. If it was not marked, should it have been marked from an 811 member company? If the damage occurs where an 811 member owns, operates, and maintains that facility, it should be marked from the dig ticket or the owner should provide information to enable an excavator or demolisher, using reasonable and prudent means, to determine the specific location of the utility or facility. If the damage occurs in-between a meter and the building, or to an underground facility that serves other areas on the property, that area most likely would not be marked from the 811 dig ticket. That area is
the private utility, which is owned
and maintained by the homeowner. The excavator could potentially be held liable for that damage because the excavator damaged someone
else’s property. The law does not require a homeowner to provide their underground utility mapping to 811, nor does the law require a homeowner to mark their own private utility
lines. An excavator is responsible for the work that they perform, which includes notifying anyone in which they could encroach upon their property. Therefore, an excavator could be held
liable for damaging a homeowner’s private utility line without getting that underground facility located.
811 notifies our member utility and facility owners, who mark their underground location or provide the necessary information to the excavator. If excavation will occur where privately owned utilities exist, an excavator or property owner may contact a private utility locator to locate and mark underground utilities in these otherwise unmarked areas.
More examples of Residential Private Utilities include, but are not limited to:
• Electricity to sheds, garages, barns, pool houses, or electric fences
• Invisible dog fences, data cables, landscape lighting
• Water, septic or irrigation systems
• Propane or natural gas run to grills and pool heaters
The following is a list of some private utility locator companies in Louisiana. This list is provided solely to assist property owners or excavators in contacting private utility locators. By using this site or list, property owners or excavators recognize that LA811 does not endorse and is not responsible
or liable for any products, goods, or services provided by the private utility locators listed below. Please contact these companies directly for pricing information. Contact information can be found at the below website.
www.louisiana811.com/excavators/ private-locator
The way I
it
By Cole Vanderlick Manager - Damage Prevention Louisiana 811
This issue of Locating Gaps is useful in becoming a safer excavator. The pipeline, utility, and construction industries strive to be as safe of a workforce as any. 811 is one of the first steps in safe excavation, but it is not the last. Some projects may require more steps than others.
While Louisiana 811 has more than 1,000 members, not every utility company in the state is a member. Some municipalities are not members of Louisiana 811, thus not being notified of an 811 dig ticket. It’s important to understand which companies are notified from your dig ticket. If an excavator thinks that a municipal utility is in the area of excavation but was not notified from a certain 811 dig ticket,
the excavator should notify that utility department directly.
Another example of locating gaps could be excavating on private property, requiring more understanding of how underground facilities are connected. Louisiana law requires utility owners to mark only the lines that they own and maintain. Buried lines usually are marked only up to your meter or to the beginning of your service line. Or, in some jurisdictions, only to the nearest electrical transformer. Almost every homeowner has some type of privately- owned underground utility. What are private utilities? They typically are underground lines that extend beyond the meter or lines not connected to
a meter that serve other areas on a property. 811 does not have homeowners’ mapping for their privately owned utility lines. 811 only has mapping for what our member pipeline, utility, and facility owners operate and maintain.
You may be wondering how this could affect you. In urban areas, most
Sustaining Members that are private utility locator companies:
• Olameter / Unibar Damage Prevention Group
• SJB Group
• T2 Utility Engineers
• USIC for large plants or industrial sites
Other private utility locator companies:
• Blood Hound Underground Utility Locators
• GPRS
• GT Underground
• Magnolia Construction
6 • Louisiana 811 2021, Issue 3