What are facility locating services?

Facility locating is a service which identifies underground facilities at a given location. Prior to any digging or construction, an excavator needs to call or email a locate request to the respective State One Call Center to have the utility lines located at the site of the proposed digging or construction. In order to ensure that the excavator does not damage or break any of the lines, the utility owner or their contract locating company will mark the ground with paint and/or flags to show where utility lines are located. These locate marks protect the integrity of each the utility company’s plant, reduce potential injuries, accidents, and damage to the utilities.

Who is a locator?

A locator is a field technician who actually locates and marks the ground to note where facility lines are located. He or she uses special equipment to pick up a signal and determine where the lines are buried. Then, the locator sprays the ground to mark where various utility lines are located.  The locator also sketches or photographs the site and the facilities which were located as proof that the utility lines were marked.

When should I call in a locating request?

A locating request call (or email) should be placed (or sent) to the respective State One Call Center any time a portion of the ground is going to be excavated. This practice should be followed from simple digs, such as installing a mailbox, to large projects including the new construction of a commercial building or home. Many of the utility lines are located just inches from the ground surface and need to be marked to prevent damage, accidents and/or injury.

How do locating companies keep track of the locating requests?

UtiliQuest as well as many other utility locating companies have a ticket management system which allows for the receipt of locate requests/tickets from State One Call Centers or directly from each utility so they can be tracked, monitored, and distributed to field technicians for completion. UtiliQuest was the first locating company in the industry to develop its own automated ticket management and work order dispatch system called Q Manager.  Q Manager allows technicians to receive, status and close out locate requests wirelessly (where available) or use the application in a disconnected mode. Technicians and their supervisors preview and organize their work while in the field, eliminating non-value added drive-time and paper handling. Reclaiming lost time allows a greater opportunity for supervisors and technicians to work together to improve the other key metric of locating - quality.

Is locating mandated by the government?

Yes, currently every state has a dig or damage prevention law which requires a property to have utility lines located prior to any kind of digging. Each state has its own law but they are all very similar in that a One-Call center must be contacted prior to any digging. These One-Call centers then send the requests to the utility owners that have lines at the property or their locating company, like UtiliQuest, who then performs the actual locate.

Are there any resources online I can use to find more information about locating?

Yes, there are many different associations and organizations dedicated to providing information for the utility locating industry. Many of these are non-profit groups formed to protect both the locating companies as well as the utility companies. Below are links to some of the key players in the industry:

811 - Call Before You Dig-
http://www.call811.com/

American Public Works Association
http://www.apwa.net/

National Utility Locating Contractors Association
http://www.nulca.org/

National Utility Contractors Association
http://www.nuca.com/

Common Ground Alliance
http://www.commongroundalliance.com/

Office of Pipeline Safety
http://ops.dot.gov

What do the different paint colors mean once a property has been located?

There is a standard within the locating industry which has been outlined by the American Public Works Association (APWA). Each of the paint colors used to mark the ground signifies a different facility. Below are the different colors and the utilities they represent:

What are damages?

Damages occur when an excavator hits a utility line upon digging. This typically happens when:

- an excavator does not call in a locate request before digging,

- facilities are improperly located by the utility owner or the locate company

- an excavator does not follow the marks provided by the utility owner or the locate company

Damages can result in interruption of service and in some cases serious injury or loss of life and/or property. As a safety precaution, it is always important to call your local One Call Center to have facilities located prior to digging.

How long does it take to have the facilities located after I contact the One-Call Center?

The timeframe for facility locates to be completed is dependent upon each individual state’s dig laws. Typically the locating ticket must be completed within 48 or72 hours from the time the ticket is created by the One Call Center. There are also emergency tickets which must be completed in a shorter period of time. These are typically done within 2 hours of ticket creation but again are dependent upon each individual state’s dig laws.