Building Ohio's Fiber Future: A Complete Approach to Damage Prevention
Ohio is in the middle of an incredible period of infrastructure growth. Across the state, fiber is being installed to connect communities, expand broadband access and build the communications infrastructure Ohio will depend on for decades to come.
For those of us in damage prevention, that growth is exciting. But it also brings an important responsibility.
Every mile of new fiber being installed has to travel through an underground environment that is already crowded with electric, gas, telecommunications, water, sewer and other infrastructure. Before a drill ever enters the ground, contractors and project managers need the best possible understanding of what exists within that construction path.
And that process starts with OHIO811.
The First Call. OHIO811 continues to do an outstanding job educating contractors, excavators and communities about one of the most important messages in our industry:
Contact 811 before you dig. It is a message that has become synonymous with damage prevention, and for good reason. The 811 system is the essential first step in helping excavators identify registered underground facilities before work begins. Nationally, 811 centers process approximately 35 million underground utility locate requests each year.
But as fiber construction accelerates, there is another part of the damage-prevention conversation that deserves just as much attention.
What about the utilities that may not be covered through the 811 process?
Understanding the Other 65%
Industry research has estimated that approximately 65% of underground utilities are privately owned or otherwise outside the facilities typically covered through the 811 process.
Think about that number for a moment.
We have done a tremendous job as an industry educating people about making the first call. Now we need to continue that education by helping project managers, contractors and excavators understand what happens after that call.
Private utilities can include electric, communications, water and sewer lines, service laterals, private fiber, lighting systems, irrigation and other infrastructure. On commercial properties, campuses, industrial facilities, developments and even within public rights-of-way and easements, privately owned facilities can intersect the exact path where new fiber is being installed.
Those utilities do not become less dangerous simply because they are privately owned.
A strike is a strike.
It can injure a worker, interrupt service, damage property, stop production, delay construction and create significant costs for everyone involved.
That is why the question on a fiber project shouldn't simply be:
"Did we contact 811?"
It should also be:
"Are we confident we know everything that could be in our construction path?"
The Importance of the Second Call
This is where the idea of a second call becomes so important.
The first call should always be to 811.
The second call, when private facilities may be present, should be to a qualified private utility locating company.
This isn't about replacing or duplicating the 811 system. Quite the opposite.
It's about completing the picture.
OHIO811 and Ohio's utility owners provide the foundation. Private locating can then complement that work by identifying facilities that fall outside of the traditional 811 process.
When those two pieces work together, project managers have a much more comprehensive understanding of the underground environment before construction begins.
Staying Ahead of the Fiber Build
There is another challenge unique to large fiber projects: speed.
Fiber construction moves.
Directional drilling crews can cover significant distances, moving through neighborhoods, municipalities and counties as a project progresses. When locating doesn't stay ahead of construction, the consequences aren't limited to safety. Crews can be left waiting, schedules can slip and production can suffer.
We are seeing tremendous success on fiber builds throughout Ohio when locating is treated as part of the construction plan rather than simply a task that occurs before excavation.
Dedicated locating resources can work proactively ahead of the build — reviewing the construction path, working alongside the public locating process, identifying potential private utilities, investigating sewer laterals and other conflicts, and addressing difficult or congested areas before the drilling crew arrives.
The objective is simple:
Keep the locating operation ahead of the construction operation.
When that happens, safety and production don't compete with each other. They support each other.
Crews spend less time waiting for answers. Project managers have better visibility into potential conflicts. Contractors can plan more effectively. Existing infrastructure receives another layer of protection.
Most importantly, workers and communities are better protected.
One Construction Path. One Complete Picture.
A drill head doesn't know whether the utility in front of it is public or private.
Our damage-prevention strategy shouldn't stop at that distinction either.
The goal should be to identify as much of the underground infrastructure within the proposed construction path as possible before excavation begins.
That requires collaboration between project owners, contractors, excavators, utility owners, 811 and private locating professionals.
Ohio's continued fiber expansion is an incredible opportunity. We are building infrastructure today that will serve communities throughout the state for generations.
Let's make sure we build it safely.
Make the first call to 811. Understand what is being marked. Identify what may not be covered. When private facilities may be present, make the second call. And make sure public and private utilities are accounted for throughout the construction path.
Because a successful fiber build isn't simply about how quickly we put fiber in the ground.
It's about knowing what's already there before we do.
