Third-Party Damages to Underground Utilities: The Critical Need for Root Cause Analysis

Ahmed Jalil Al-Bayati, Louis Panzer, Ricardo Eiris, Mohammadsoroush Tafazzoli

Research output: Contribution to book or proceedingConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Third-party damages to the subsurface infrastructure are a persistent issue that negatively impacts the integrity of the underground infrastructure and its vital services. Hundreds of thousands of third-party damages occur every year in the United States. These damages are more likely to reoccur when ignoring the value of learning from them. Therefore, this study investigates 16,937 damage reports that occurred in North Carolina in 2020 and were reported to North Carolina 811. The findings suggest that undesirable excavator practices contribute the most to third-party damages, followed by locator practices, general industry practices, and utility owner practices. In addition, the finding shows that most of the reported causes represent the direct causes of damages, not the root causes. Identifying the root causes is critical for a sustainable approach to significantly reducing damages to underground utilities. Overall, this study identifies the current direct causes of damages and weaknesses that hinder the industry from acquiring the needed knowledge to prevent damages to subsurface utilities.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSustainability, Resilience, Infrastructure Systems, and Materials Design in Construction
EditorsJennifer S. Shane, Katherine M. Madson, Yunjeong Mo, Cristina Poleacovschi, Roy E. Sturgill
PublisherAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Pages712-719
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9780784485279
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024
EventConstruction Research Congress 2024, CRC 2024 - Des Moines, United States
Duration: Mar 20 2024Mar 23 2024

Publication series

NameConstruction Research Congress 2024, CRC 2024
Volume2

Conference

ConferenceConstruction Research Congress 2024, CRC 2024
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityDes Moines
Period03/20/2403/23/24

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