2012 Massachusetts General Laws
PART I ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT(Chapters 1 through 182)
TITLE XIV PUBLIC WAYS AND WORKS
CHAPTER 82 THE LAYING OUT, ALTERATION, RELOCATION AND DISCONTINUANCE OF PUBLIC WAYS, AND SPECIFIC REPAIRS THEREON
Section 40 Definitions

Section 40. The following words, as used in this section and sections 40A to 40E, inclusive, shall have the following meanings:—

“Company”, natural gas pipeline company, petroleum or petroleum products pipeline company, public utility company, cable television company, and municipal utility company or department that supply gas, electricity, telephone, communication or cable television services or private water companies within the city or town where such excavation is to be made.

“Description of excavation location”, such description shall include the name of the city or town, street, way, or route number where appropriate, the name of the streets at the nearest intersection to the excavation, the number of the buildings closest to the excavation or any other description, including landmarks, utility pole numbers or other information which will accurately define the location of the excavation.

“Emergency”, a condition in which the safety of the public is in imminent danger, such as a threat to life or health or where immediate correction is required to maintain or restore essential public utility service.

“Excavation”, an operation for the purpose of movement or removal of earth, rock or the materials in the ground including, but not limited to, digging, blasting, augering, backfilling, test boring, drilling, pile driving, grading, plowing in, hammering, pulling in, jacking in, trenching, tunneling and demolition of structures, excluding excavation by tools manipulated only by human power for gardening purposes and use of blasting for quarrying purposes.

“Excavator”, any entity including, but not limited to, a person, partnership, joint venture, trust, corporation, association, public utility, company or state or local government body which performs excavation operations.

“Premark”, to delineate the general scope of the excavation or boring on the paved surface of the ground using white paint, or stakes or other suitable white markings on nonpaved surfaces. No premarking shall be acceptable if such marks can reasonably interfere with traffic or pedestrian control or are misleading to the general public. Premarking shall not be required of any continuous excavation that is over 500 feet in length.

“Safety zone”, a zone designated on the surface by the use of standard color-coded markings which contains the width of the facilities plus not more than 18 inches on each side.

“Standard color-coded markings”, red - electric power lines, cables, conduit or light cables; yellow - gas, oil, street petroleum, or other gaseous materials; orange - communications cables or conduit, alarm or signal lines; blue - water, irrigation and slurry lines; green - sewer and drain lines; white - premark of proposed excavation.

“System”, the underground plant damage prevention system as defined in section 76D of chapter 164.