When any contact is made with or any damage is suspected or done to any underground facility of a public utility, the person, public agency or public utility responsible for the operations causing the contact, suspected damage or damage shall immediately notify the public utility whose facilities have been affected, which shall dispatch its own personnel as soon as reasonably possible to inspect the underground facility and, if necessary, effect temporary or permanent repairs. If a serious electrical short is occurring or if dangerous fluids or gas are escaping from a broken line, the person, public agency or public utility responsible for the operations causing the damage shall alert all persons within the danger area and take all feasible steps to insure the public safety pending the arrival of repair personnel. As used in this section, “contact” includes, without limitation, the striking, scraping or denting, however slight, of any underground utility facility, including any underground utility facility protective coating, housing or other protective device. “Contact” does not include damage, as defined in § 16-345.

Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 16-355

  • Damage: includes , but is not limited to, the substantial weakening of structural or lateral support of a utility facility such that the continued integrity of such utility facility is imperiled, penetration or destruction of any utility facility protective coating, housing or other protective device or the severance, partial or complete, of any utility facility. See Connecticut General Statutes 16-345
  • Person: means an individual, partnership, corporation, limited liability company or association, including a person engaged as a contractor by a public agency but excluding a public agency. See Connecticut General Statutes 16-345
  • Public agency: means the state or any political subdivision thereof, including any governmental agency. See Connecticut General Statutes 16-345
  • Public utility: means the owner or operator of underground facilities for furnishing electric, gas, telephone, communications, pipeline, sewage, water, community television antenna, steam, traffic signal, fire signal or similar service, including a municipal or other public owner or operator. See Connecticut General Statutes 16-345