Reporting Damage

to underground utility facilities

When excavation damages a buried utility, the first move should always the same: get everyone to safety, stop work, and protect the area. Quick, accurate reporting isn’t about blame — it’s how we work together to contain the hazard, restore service, and learn what went wrong so the next crew stays safe.

This page provides links to report incidents, shares tools like the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) Damage Prevention Institute and DIRT report, and explains how the Underground Technical Committee (UTC) investigates alleged compliance failures for statewide advancements in safe excavation.

Common Ground Alliance (CGA)

The CGA collaborates with industry stakeholders and regulators nationwide in the shared goal of damage prevention.

PUCO

ORC 4905.041 (A): The public utilities commission has exclusive jurisdiction to enforce, in accordance with Chapter 4913. of the Revised Code, section 153.64, division (A) and (B) of section 3781.26, sections 3781.27 and 3781.28 to 3781.32, and Chapter 4913. of the Revised Code.

Underground Technical Committee (UTC)

A committee of individuals with knowledge and experience in safe excavation who review compliance failures to determine appropriate consequences.