Damage Prevention includes which elements?

• A. Reducing the Number of Notifications to Contractors
• B. Only Marking Facilities After Excavation Begins
• C. Notifying Excavators and the General Public
• D. Knowing Where All Utilities Are Located in Advance, Including Notifications to Excavators and Marking Underground Facilities Prior to Excavating

Answer: (D)

Damage prevention hinges on planning ahead to locate all underground facilities and communicating with those who will dig. The most effective approach is to determine the exact locations of utilities in advance, notify the excavators (and the relevant utility owners/operators), and have the underground facilities clearly marked before any digging starts. This pre-dig locate-and-mark process helps prevent hits that can cause outages, injuries, and costly repairs, by giving workers a clear map of where not to dig.

That’s why the best answer includes knowing where all utilities are located in advance, along with notifying excavators and marking the underground facilities prior to excavating. Reducing notifications reduces safety, marking only after excavation begins misses the preventative step, and simply notifying excavators and the public is incomplete because the critical elements are advance location, proper notifications, and proactive marking before digging.