"He would be dead. Absolutely. It tears me up a little bit. I don't mean to be overly dramatic, but one more second, and he could have been dead. It terrified me." – Kristin Carboni
Even when everyone on a project does everything right, relying on existing plans of buried utilities when excavating can have disastrous consequences.
That was the case recently in Massachusetts, where incomplete and inaccurate records of a buried, high voltage electric line nearly cost a couple their lives.
This is according to a recent report by NBC Boston, which detailed how Kristin Carboni and her husband came within centimeters of striking the underground utility while installing a fence at their business. The Carbonis own and operate a dog boarding and training business on their wooded property on Cape Cod. They were looking to add an agility course to the property and needed to install a fence around the course.
Before beginning excavation to install the fence, the couple contacted their regional 811 One Call Center, Dig Safe.
811 is the national, non-profit notification service that acts as a link between excavators and contractors, and participating member utility companies. Federal law requires that 811 be notified of upcoming excavation projects, so they can in turn notify the utility companies who send representatives to the site to mark their utilities with flags or paint.
Kristin Carboni told NBC Boston that she and her husband “thought we were good to go,” adding that they “got the ‘all clear’ from four different companies.”
But while Carboni’s husband was digging holes for the fence posts with a heavy auger, Carboni – who was standing nearby – heard a strange noise and screamed at him to stop.
“He pulled up the auger and there was a huge conduit that came out of the ground,” she said.
The auger had pierced through the conduit protecting the high-voltage electric line. It would have damaged the line itself, likely electrocuting Carboni’s husband, had she not stopped him when she heard the strange noise.
"He would be dead. Absolutely," Carboni said. "It tears me up a little bit. I don't mean to be overly dramatic, but one more second, and he could have been dead. It terrified me."
NBC Boston contacted Eversource, an energy company that provides electricity, natural gas, and water services in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, who provided the news channel with the following statement:
“Following a thorough investigation into the incident, we confirmed that the original records from the installation of the underground electric service by a private contractor did not indicate that the cable extended onto private property, which is why it was not marked by our subcontractor. Following this event, we promptly repaired the damaged plastic conduit and updated the mapping for the area to reflect the underground electric service more accurately.
This incident underscores the importance of our company-wide safety initiative, which involves reviewing and updating older records, enhancing our Geographic Information System (GIS), and refining our mark out procedures to strengthen safety and improve the accuracy of locating and marking underground infrastructure.
With safety always our top priority, we strongly recommend that homeowners and contractors, regardless of ground markings, carefully expose and verify underground areas using a shovel before beginning any excavation.”
Massachusetts’ Dig Safe laws, which were strengthened following the September 2018 Merrimack Valley gas explosions, require anyone who knows of damage to file a report, whether they’re a utility worker, contractor, or homeowner. The Carbonis reportedly received a warning letter in the mail for not reporting the incident on their property.
Eversource received a violation notice for what occurred on the Carbonis’ property. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) records, there have been roughly 350 violations assessed to utility companies in the past year, which result in millions of dollars in outstanding fines.
Jennifer Cabrera, who manages the pipeline safety division for the Massachusetts DPU, which oversees the state’s Dig Safe laws, said the approach is meant to educate the public and likened it to a car crash, where police or insurance companies want to hear from everyone involved.
"If we are not informed of the information, then we don't know what caused it and how to prevent it for the next excavator," she said.
It’s important to remember that utility companies are not responsible for marking out private lines on a property they visit, only their own utilities.
Carboni told the news station that she wants what happened to her and her husband to serve as a lesson for the public.
"… I feel very blessed and grateful that we didn't die," she said. "And the fact that we didn't die means it's my job to educate people so that nothing like this ever happens again."
Even when everyone on a project does everything right, relying on existing plans of buried utilities when excavating can have disastrous consequences.
While you should always contact your local 811 One Call Center prior to digging, you should also hire a professional private utility locating company to locate and map all buried utilities in your intended dig area before you put a shovel or bucket in the ground.
GPRS is the nation’s largest private utility locator. We’ve achieved and maintain a 99.8%+ accuracy rate when locating buried utilities. Utilizing ground penetrating radar (GPR) scanners and electromagnetic (EM) locators, our SIM-certified Project Managers collect the accurate, complete data you need to stay on time, on budget, and safe. And this information is always at you and your team’s fingertips thanks to SiteMap® (patent pending), our facility & project management application that provides existing conditions documentation to protect your assets and people.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can GPRS locate PVC Piping and other non-conductive utilities?
GPR scanning is exceptionally effective at locating all types of subsurface materials. There are times when PVC pipes do not provide an adequate signal to ground penetrating radar equipment and can’t be properly located by traditional methods. However, GPRS Project Managers are expertly trained at multiple methods of utility locating.
Will I need to mark out the utilities that GPRS locates?
No, GPRS will locate and mark all utilities for you. We have a variety of tools and markers we can use to highlight the locations of utilities, underground storage tanks and whatever else may be hiding.
