Spoiler Alert: In this summer’s movie blockbuster Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, there is a high-drama scene where there may or may not be an explosion.
While Mission: Impossible’s eight-movie series, as of June 30, has a lifetime gross of nearly $1.5 billion, that big-screen amount pales in comparison to the unfortunate cost that everyday construction mishaps have on the U.S. economy.
According to estimates, damage to and from underground utilities costs the U.S. $30 billion annually – with some studies suggesting true costs reaching $50 billion to $100 billion each year.
And it’s only going to worsen – as construction industry members are seeing that working around unmarked buried utilities is often an impossible mission.
“You can put the name of every contractor in a hat, shake it up, and pull out one at a time and they would have a story about a utility that was abandoned … or have a story to tell about finding out a utility wasn’t abandoned,” said OCA Director of Labor Relations & Safety Dave Coniglio.
If you’ve donned a construction hardhat, you are well aware of the dangers of working around buried utilities if proper care isn’t taken.
George J. Igel & Co. Vice President of Safety & Employee Development Mary Logan So provided testimony earlier this year to the Ohio Legislature that would shake up anyone when she discussed the dangers of abandoned, or orphaned, utilities. “The potential risks related to utilities is one of the greatest safety issues facing contractors today,” said Logan So, who has 23 years of safety work in the construction industry.
Speaking with the Ohio Senate Transportation Committee on the 2026-2028 state transportation bill (House Bill 54), she and other contractors detailed several occurrences when company and industry crews have struck unmarked utility lines, abandoned lines, and abandoned lines that were still “live.” Logan So detailed one encounter where a previously orphaned line served as a conduit for another utility, saying, “While the 4-inch (gas) line was abandoned, another, unmarked, 2-inch gas line had been fed through the new one.”
“Contractors are faced with uncovering lines that aren’t referenced in the plans,” said Coniglio, adding that “sometimes the utilities are abandoned and sometimes they’re not – and that can become really dangerous.”
“… There is a definite lack of collective understanding regarding the hazards associated with abandoned or presumed abandoned facilities,” adds Logan So. “… I can’t begin to count the number of times that an unknown line is discovered, and even when locators come onsite the only answer is: ‘Well, it’s not on our maps, so treat it as “live.”’”
“There’re obviously huge safety implications …,” said Coniglio of working around unmarked utilities. “You don’t know what’s there. Number 1, is there anything actually there? Number 2, is it really abandoned? And, number 3, if it is abandoned, has anyone else run a utility through it?”
As cities and communities continue to grow and develop, Coniglio and Logan So foresee contractors faced with more and more safety decisions when it comes to abandoned utilities.
“Central Ohio has seen unprecedented construction activity over the last five years,” said Logan So, “and with that, we’re seeing lines that were newly installed five years ago being relocated to accommodate growth. Some are outright being abandoned. At this rate, contractors are at a growing disadvantage to operate safely with more and more infrastructure in the ground without records of what’s ‘live’ and what’s ‘not.’”
Previously Buried Issue Being Brought to Light
The originally drafted 2026-2028 state biennial transportation budget (HB 54) sought penalties for utility groups if construction projects were delayed because utilities weren’t moved. “And if there are abandoned lines, (ODOT) wanted them removed,” Coniglio said. While the cost for utility companies to meet those requests were prohibitive and didn’t remain in the legislation’s draft, Coniglio said “it got the ball rolling” with legislators when it came to uncovering the issue of abandoned utilities. “… The positives about this are that it got everyone talking about it; everybody at the Statehouse; everybody at ODOT; the contractors; the utility companies. Everybody that is a stakeholder has started talking about it.”
Contractors are becoming more involved in efforts to have all buried utilities accounted for by participating in the Ohio Underground Damage Prevention Coalition (OUDPC). The coalition, which was formed in 2011, advocates for legislation related to underground utility damage prevention and is administered through OHIO811. As part of the OUDPC’s work, the Abandoned Lines Subcommittee was created in 2016 to address the challenges and dangers surrounding unidentified/abandoned utility lines on jobsites. The main topic of discussion for the subcommittee is developing tracking methods and a database of each type of utility.
“It’s starting to shape up,” said Coniglio regarding the housing of better records on abandoned utilities. “The plan right now is to have some kind of repository that OHIO811 manages – where if you abandon a utility you have to give information to 811 and they house all the information.”
Logan So and Coniglio admit that while it is impossible to uncover – let alone record – all of Ohio’s more than 200 years of buried utility facilities, future excavating and utility relocations will be safer. “It will help down the road,” Coniglio said of a repository of abandoned utilities. “It’s not going to fix the problem in 2026 – but (in) 2036 it might have great impact.”
A co-chair of the Abandoned Lines Subcommittee since it was formed, Logan So welcomes Ohio’s heavy/highway construction industry and ODOT’s involvement in the coalition and interest in having the abandoned utilities’ repository gain traction.
“ODOT recognized that there’s risk – financial and safety – with the current lack of clarity,” she said. “Together, I have every faith that we can improve safety for contractors and the motoring public if we continue to push for improvement.”
Logan So said OCA, along with providing the venue for the group’s quarterly meetings, has been strongly involved in the OUDPC and its subcommittees. “The OCA has advocated for contractors for years and was one of the founding members of the OUDPC. They continue to engage at both the subcommittee and full-coalition level. Dave (Coniglio) and (OCA Legislative Director) Michelle (Holdgreve) have been instrumental in forging relationships and propelling contractor issues to be heard by all stakeholders.”
“OCA has become a much more active participant in (OUDPC),” said Coniglio. While in past years contractors were seldomly counted among the coalition’s 15 representatives, today companies such as George J. Igel, Kokosing Construction, Prus Construction, Ruhlin, Shelly and others are making their and the industry’s voices heard.
“In order to be a part of the solution, it’s important for like-minded individuals to keep bringing up the difficult conversations to advance contractor safety in Ohio,” Logan So said. “I am proud that so many contractors are engaged in the conversation at a statewide level for both the abandoned lines discussion as well as other issues in the damage prevention laws – like training, complex projects, size and scope of ticket and exemptions …”
While abandoned and unmarked utilities, coupled with carelessness, admittedly make the prevention of underground utility damage a nearly impossible mission, the work of OCA, Logan So and industry stakeholders will continue to advance better recordkeeping and contractor safety.
“There’s always going to be utilities that are going to get struck,” said Coniglio, referring to findings by the Common Ground Alliance that 60% of damage to underground utilities are caused by contractors not contacting 811 prior to digging. “There’s always going to be contractors who don’t follow the rules; they’re going to drop a bucket in the ground and start excavating … You’re going to find (utility lines) if you just start digging. (However) what I think has improved is that there is a lot of meaningful discussions. Contractors are more aware, they’re more involved.”
“My goal,” said Logan So, “is to see Abandoned Lines legislation be supported by all stakeholders. There is still an enormous amount of work to be done, but currently stakeholders seem open to at least maintaining records and sharing that information, which is a very small step toward advancing contractor safety. I hope it leads to discussion about removing those facilities and eliminating confusion.”
And making working around buried utilities a mission that isn’t impossible.