California Underground Safety Board

The California Underground Safety Board  (USB or the Board) was created by the Dig Safe Act of 2016 to investigate accidents, develop excavation safety standards and coordinate education and outreach programs. 

Underground Safety Board Mission 

Board Policy B-02

The California Underground Facilities Safe Excavation Board improves public and worker safety by facilitating communication and learning among excavators and the operators of subsurface installations, by investigating accidents to determine their causes, and by developing solutions to improve safety outcomes. The California Underground Facilities Safe Excavation Board strives to be a model regulatory and investigatory board for other states to emulate. 

Underground Safety Board Vision

Board Policy B-03

The California Underground Facilities Safe Excavation Board seeks to effect a California in which the state’s excavators and subsurface installation owners know and understand 

• how to identify the locations of subsurface installations, 
• how to protect against dangerous contact with those installations, and 
• how to resolve unexpected situations that may arise, and 

in which the state’s excavators and subsurface installation owners exercise that knowledge and understanding to promote a culture of mutual respect and dedication to the cause that everyone goes home safe. 

Underground Safety Board Values

Board Policy B-04

The actions and decisions of the Underground Facilities Safe Excavation Board members and staff will be guided and informed by their commitments to: 

• Respect for and attentiveness to the expression of differing backgrounds and perspectives of the board’s members, the public, and stakeholders, as well as for the missions of excavators, operators of subsurface installations, and other federal, state, and local agencies. 
• A culture of continuous learning based on the development and free exchange of safety information. 
• Inquiry into the facts of and context behind accidents, near misses, and latent safety-related conditions in the field. 
• Accessibility to the public and stakeholders, within the bounds of the law, constitutional principles of due process, and ethical conduct. 
• Integrity in serving in the public interest and devotion to maintaining the public’s trust.