Every year, the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA) publishes its Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report, providing one of the clearest pictures of underground utility damages across the province.
The good news? Damage events are trending downward.
The bad news? Thousands of utility strikes are still happening every year.
According to the 2024 ORCGA DIRT Report, Ontario recorded 3,933 underground infrastructure damages, representing a 7.5% decrease from the previous year and the lowest annual total in more than a decade.
While that’s encouraging, it still works out to roughly 15 utility damages every working day across Ontario.
What Causes Most Utility Strikes?
Many people assume underground utility damage occurs because utilities were not marked correctly.
The data tells a different story.
The ORCGA found that the leading cause of utility damages continues to be excavation issues. While excavation-related damages improved by 9.4% compared to 2023, they remain the most common root cause of strikes.
Another significant concern is notification issues, which accounted for 31.5% of all damages in 2024. In many cases, excavation activities began without proper notification or locate requests being submitted.
In previous DIRT reports, “No Notification to Ontario One Call” consistently ranked among the leading contributors to underground utility damage.
Why Utility Locates Are Still Critical
Too often, contractors view utility locates as a regulatory requirement rather than a risk management tool.
A single strike can result in:
- Project delays
- Emergency repairs
- Utility outages
- Damage claims
- Worker injuries
- Environmental incidents
- Significant financial losses
Historically, utility damages have been estimated to cost Ontario well over $1 billion annually when repair costs, delays, lost productivity, emergency response, and societal impacts are considered.
The reality is simple:
A locate costs far less than a utility strike.
The Challenge with Private Utilities
Ontario One Call plays a critical role in identifying public infrastructure, but many contractors are surprised to learn that private utilities are often not included.
Private electrical services, communication lines, site lighting, irrigation systems, private gas services, and facility-owned infrastructure may still exist within an excavation area even after Ontario One Call locates are completed.
This is where private utility locating becomes essential.
Before excavation begins, contractors should understand both public and private utility risks on the site.
What Contractors Can Do to Reduce Risk
The DIRT data consistently points to several best practices:
1. Submit locate requests early
Ensure Ontario One Call requests are submitted well before excavation begins.
2. Verify locate validity
Expired locates create unnecessary risk.
3. Investigate private utilities
Don’t assume all buried infrastructure is covered by public locate requests.
4. Use safe excavation practices
Hand exposure and vacuum excavation remain critical around known utility conflicts.
5. Maintain utility records
Accurate mapping and documentation reduce future risk and improve project planning.
Building a Safer Ontario
The reduction in utility damages reported in the latest DIRT Report is encouraging and reflects the efforts of excavators, utility owners, locators, municipalities, and damage prevention organizations across the province.
However, with nearly 4,000 recorded damages in 2024 alone, there is still significant work to do.
At TAG Geomatics, we support contractors, developers, engineers, municipalities, and survey firms through private utility locating, utility mapping, utility coordination, and Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) support services.
Every safe excavation starts with understanding what’s below the surface.
Before you dig, make sure you know what’s there.
Sources:
Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA) 2024 DIRT Report
Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA) DIRT Program
Ontario One Call Damage Prevention Resources