Ohio 811

Call before you dig or before we cut…. it's the Law.

Color Codes For Locating Utility Lines

Brief Overview of the Impacts of the Law to Our Service

1) Service Response Time: As a company, we are required to have our own OUPS ticket. This requires us to have enough notice to apply for the ticket and give the utilities 48 hours to respond. We cannot "piggyback" on your ticket nor can we cut without ours. This increases the response time that our customers have come to expect. Please give as much notice as possible when planning.

2) Cutting Abilities: The creation of a "Tolerance" zone has limited our ability to cut the customers desired scope to completion. We are required to keep all cutting with power tools out of the Tolerance zone. This can make it difficult for you the customer to get clean edges to your excavations. See the graphic below for more information.

Conclusion: The goal of the law is to create a safer environment while ensuring accountability. It has changed our ability to serve you as we have in the past. But rest assured, we will do everything with in our means with respect to the law to help you get your job done. The Ohio Utility Protection Services is a non-profit organization established to prevent utility damages through communication, prevention, and education.

Please see their website for additional details and to download their informative handy excavator manual.

http://www.oups.org | 1-800-362-2764

Tolerance Zone Graphic

Tolerance Zone explained on page 13 of the excavator manual

Safety Is Our #1 Priority

Safety is the #1 Priority!

The 4 Steps To Digging

ORC Sec. 3781.28. (A) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (C), (D), (E), and (F) of this section, at least forty-eight hours but not more than ten working days before commencing excavation, the excavator shall notify a protection service of the location of the excavation site and the date on which excavation is planned to commence.

*Please note that the Ohio Revised Code defines excavator as the person or persons responsible for making the actual excavation (ORC Sec. 3781.25(K)). Therefore, while OHIO811 will not refuse a ticket from any caller, we advise the actual excavator place the call to OHIO811, receive their own ticket number and wait the required 48 hours in order to be compliant with Ohio law.*