Thousands of utility strikes at construction workplaces are reported daily. These incidents often result in occupational injuries, project delays, cost overruns, legal disputes, and vital service disruptions. Reducing underground utility damages is a shared responsibility among key stakeholders, particularly locators, excavators, and utility owners. This study aimed to rank the 17 identified direct causes of underground utility damage. To achieve this, perceptions of construction practitioners were collected via an online questionnaire, yielding 179 responses. Construction practitioners were asked to rank each cause based on its contribution to utility damage using a five-point scale, ranging from no contribution to extremely high contribution. The results indicate statistically significant differences among causes. Duncan’s post hoc analysis grouped causes into five homogeneous subsets based on their perceived severity. These subsets were then mapped to their four stakeholder-based categories (excavators, locators, utility Owners, and general practices). The findings confirm that damage prevention is a shared responsibility across stakeholders. In addition, the study provides a prioritized framework of causes to guide industry training, prevention strategies, and policy development aimed at reducing underground utility damages and enhancing excavation safety.
Ahmed Jalil Al-Bayati (Sun,) studied this question.