The bill amends the Revised Code to enhance the safety and coordination of excavation activities involving underground utility facilities. Key updates include a revised definition of "working days," which now runs from midnight to eleven fifty-nine p.m. on the same day, excluding weekends and legal holidays. Contractors are required to notify protection services and utility owners at least two working days before starting construction, with the notification period adjusted to exclude the day of notification but allowing for a maximum of sixteen calendar days. The bill also clarifies the definition of "excavation," explicitly excluding certain activities like milling asphalt surfaces up to six inches deep and utility wood pole inspections that do not penetrate the earth more than twelve inches.

Significant changes include the removal of provisions that allowed utilities to participate in protection services on a limited basis, now mandating full participation in the protection service and its positive response system. The timeframe for utilities to review and mark their underground facilities has been changed from "forty-eight hours" to "at least two working days, not including the day of the notification." If a utility fails to mark its facilities within this timeframe, it is considered to have no facilities at the site. The bill also establishes color codes for marking various types of underground utilities and streamlines existing regulations by repealing several sections related to utility marking and excavation procedures. Overall, these amendments aim to improve communication and reduce the risk of damage to underground utilities during excavation projects.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 3781.25, 3781.26, 3781.27, 3781.271, 3781.28
As Reported By House Committee: 153.64, 3781.25, 3781.26, 3781.27, 3781.271, 3781.28, 3781.29
As Passed By House: 153.64, 3781.25, 3781.26, 3781.27, 3781.271, 3781.28, 3781.29