Every excavation begins with a plan. Whether the project involves installing water and sewer lines, repairing a roadway, replacing a gas line, setting drainage, or completing construction around a home, the moment soil is disturbed, risk enters the equation.
In West Virginia, we often talk about damage prevention in terms of protecting underground facilities. We remind excavators to contact 811, wait for facilities to be marked, respect those markings, and use safe excavation practices around underground lines.
But damage prevention is about something even more important than pipes, cables, and infrastructure.
It is about people.
A successful excavation is not simply one that finishes on schedule or under budget. It is one where every employee goes home safely, underground facilities remain intact, essential services continue uninterrupted, and the job is completed without an incident.
And ultimately, our goal at the West Virginia Damage Prevention Board is simple:
Zero damages.
The Danger Does Not Stop at the Utility Mark
Once excavation begins, another serious hazard can develop: the trench itself.
A trench can look stable right up until the moment it isn’t.
Soil conditions can change. Rain can affect stability. Previously disturbed ground can behave differently than expected. Nearby equipment, spoil piles, vibration, underground installations, and changing site conditions can all introduce additional hazards.
There is no project schedule important enough to justify putting someone in an unsafe excavation situation.
Depending on conditions, protection may involve sloping or benching the trench walls, shoring them with appropriate support systems, or shielding employees through systems such as trench boxes.
A competent person also plays an essential role. OSHA defines a competent person as someone capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards and who has the authority to take prompt corrective action.
That last part matters.
Recognizing a dangerous condition is not enough. Someone must have the authority—and the willingness—to stop the work and correct it.
Protecting Workers and Utilities Goes Hand in Hand
Trench safety and underground facility damage prevention are sometimes treated as two separate subjects.
They shouldn’t be. They are parts of the same safety culture.
An excavator who carefully reviews the 811 ticket, verifies markings, communicates with facility operators, understands the excavation area, maintains those markings, and uses appropriate excavation techniques is already approaching the project with a safety mindset.
That same mindset should continue when evaluating the trench. Can employees enter and exit safely? Are underground facilities exposed or unsupported?
And most importantly: If something doesn’t look right, are we willing to stop?
Stopping work for a few minutes to reassess a condition may feel inconvenient. A utility strike or trench collapse can change lives permanently.
Zero Damages Is More Than a Number
The West Virginia Damage Prevention Board was created to enforce our state’s underground facility damage prevention law. The Board has the authority to investigate damages, make findings, require training, and assess civil penalties when appropriate.
Enforcement is important.
But enforcement alone will never get West Virginia to zero damages. Education will. Communication will. Training will. Accountability will. And a culture in which everyone involved in excavation believes that damages are preventable, will.
Our objective should never be to issue more penalties. Success is when the unsafe action or damage never occurs in the first place. That means excavators, utility operators, locators, contractors, municipalities, homeowners, engineers, project owners, and everyone else involved in excavation must recognize that damage prevention is a shared responsibility.
There is no single person responsible for
getting West Virginia to zero damages.
Our Goal for West Virginia
I believe zero damages is an achievable goal, but reaching it requires us to think beyond compliance.
Compliance establishes the minimum requirements. Culture determines what happens when no one is watching.
We want West Virginia to have a culture where contacting 811 is automatic, where accurate and timely locating is expected, where safe excavation practices are standard, where trench protection is never considered optional, and where every person on a jobsite feels empowered to speak up when something does not look right.
Imagine what zero damages would mean.
Fewer utility outages. Fewer emergency repairs. Fewer project delays. Lower costs. Safer contractors and excavators. Safer communities. And, most importantly, more workers returning home safely at the end of the day.
The West Virginia Damage Prevention Board will continue working with the excavation community, facility operators, WV 811, locators, contractors, public officials, and other stakeholders to strengthen damage prevention throughout our state.
But achieving zero damages will require something from everyone. Before you dig, make the notification. Before someone enters a trench, make certain it is safe.
No deadline, no project, and no underground facility is worth someone’s life.
Protect the worker. Protect the infrastructure. Protect West Virginia.
Dig safely. Work safely. Let’s make zero damages our standard.