It is hereby declared to be the purpose and policy of the Legislature in enacting this article to enhance the safety of the citizens of this state and to provide increased protection to underground facilities from damage due to excavation or demolition by providing for the operation of a one-call system for use by operators of underground facilities and by persons engaged in excavation or demolition in the vicinity of underground facilities.

Terms Used In West Virginia Code 24C-1-1

  • Damage: means any impact or contact with or weakening of the support for, or the partial or complete destruction of, an underground facility, its appurtenances, protective casing, coating, or housing, which, according to the operation practices of the operator or state or federal regulation, requires repair or replacement. See West Virginia Code 24C-1-2
  • demolition: means any operation by which a structure or mass of material is wrecked, razed, rendered, moved, or removed by means of any tools, equipment or discharge of explosives which could damage underground facilities: Provided, That "demolish" and "demolition" do not include earth-disturbing activities authorized pursuant to the provisions of §. See West Virginia Code 24C-1-2
  • excavation: means any operation in which earth, rock, or other material in the ground is moved, removed, or otherwise displaced by means of any tools, equipment, or explosives, and includes, without limitation, boring, backfilling, grading, trenching, trenchless technology, digging, ditching, dredging, drilling, auguring, tunneling, moleing, scraping, cable or pipe plowing and driving, wrecking, razing, rendering, moving, or removing any structure or mass of material, but does not include underground or surface mining operations or related activities or the tilling of soil for agricultural purposes or for domestic gardening. See West Virginia Code 24C-1-2
  • One-call system: means a communication system that receives notification from excavators of intended excavation work and prepares and transmits such notification to operators of underground facilities in accordance with this article. See West Virginia Code 24C-1-2
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10