Mississippi Excavation and Grading Examination

Before beginning a planned excavation in Mississippi, whom must the excavator notify so operators can mark underground facilities?

• AThe county planning office only
• BMississippi 811, Inc. (MS811)
• CThe Mississippi Department of Transportation locate desk
• DThe local fire department non-emergency line

How can an excavator in Mississippi submit a locate request to the one-call center?

• AOnly by certified mail to the Public Service Commission
• BOnly in person at a county courthouse
• CBy dialing 811 or 1-800-227-6477, or through the MS811 web portal
• DBy calling 911 and asking dispatch to notify utilities

Except for emergency, impending-emergency, and submerged excavation, how far in advance must a Mississippi excavator notify MS811 of a planned excavation?

• ANot less than 3 and not more than 10 working days
• BNot less than 24 hours and not more than 48 hours
• CNot less than 14 and not more than 30 calendar days
• DAny time on the same calendar day work begins

After you submit a locate request, what is MS811's role?

• AMS811 field crews mark every underground utility on the site
• BMS811 issues a digging permit that replaces operator marks
• CMS811 transmits the ticket to member operators, who mark or clear their facilities
• DMS811 surveys the excavation area with ground-penetrating radar

What does MS811 charge an excavator to submit a locate request?

• AA per-ticket fee based on excavation length
• BNothing; the locate request service is free to the excavator
• CA deposit that is refunded after marks are placed
• DThe same fee as the PSI contractor examination

Under Mississippi excavation law, who must submit the MS811 locate request?

• AThe property owner, even if a contractor will do all the digging
• BThe person or company that will actually perform the excavation
• CThe design engineer of record only
• DAny nearby resident who saw the equipment arrive

Before notifying MS811, how must an excavator generally identify the proposed work area?

• APre-mark the approximate boundary with white paint, flags, stakes, or electronic pre-mark…
• BPaint the work area red so it matches electric-line marks
• CSet pink survey hubs only after the ticket expires
• DOutline the area with yellow paint reserved for gas lines

Under the APWA Uniform Color Code used for Mississippi locate marks, what do red marks indicate?

• APotable water lines
• BSewers and drain lines
• CElectric power lines, cables, conduit, and lighting cables
• DProposed excavation limits

Yellow APWA marks on a Mississippi excavation site identify which facilities?

• ACommunication, alarm, or signal lines
• BGas, oil, steam, petroleum, or other gaseous materials
• CReclaimed water and irrigation slurry lines
• DTemporary survey control

Orange locate marks indicate which type of underground facility?

• ACommunication, alarm, or signal lines, cables, or conduit
• BElectric power and street-lighting cables
• CPotable water mains
• DSanitary and storm sewers

Blue APWA marks identify which underground facility?

• AReclaimed or irrigation water
• BNatural gas distribution
• CPotable (drinking) water
• DBuried electric secondary

Green APWA marks on a site indicate which facilities?

• ASewers and drain lines
• BProposed excavation limits
• CElectric primary and secondary
• DFiber-optic communications

Purple APWA marks identify which facilities?

• APotable water service lines
• BGas transmission and distribution
• CReclaimed water, irrigation, or slurry lines
• DTemporary survey control points

Pink temporary marks on a jobsite are used for which purpose under the APWA color code?

• AProposed excavation limits painted by the excavator
• BTemporary survey markings
• CAbandoned facilities that no longer need protection
• DEmergency excavation routes only

Under Mississippi Chapter 13, what is the tolerance zone around operator field marks?

• ASix inches on each side of the paint line, regardless of pipe size
• BFive feet on each side of the mark, matching OSHA spoil setback
• CEighteen inches, plus one-half the facility diameter if the diameter is indicated at the…
• DThe full width of the right-of-way shown on the construction plans

Before using mechanical excavating equipment inside the Mississippi tolerance zone, what must the excavator do?

• ADetermine the precise location of marked facilities with noninvasive methods such as hand…
• BAssume the paint line is the exact center of the pipe and offset the bucket 6 inches
• CWait one additional calendar week after the ticket expires
• DRequest that MS811 send its own locating crew to expose the line

How long are operator marks and a standard (non-submerged) MS811 locate request ticket valid?

• AUntil the project is permanently complete, with no renewal
• BSeven working days from the date the excavator first arrives on site
• CTwenty calendar days from the date and time the ticket is processed in the MS811 system
• DForty-eight hours after the last operator posts a PRIS response

When must a standard Mississippi locate request be renewed if excavation will continue past the ticket's expiration?

• AAt least 3 and not more than 4 working days before the expiration date
• BOn the morning the ticket expires, after equipment is already in the hole
• COnly after the Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Board issues a new permit
• DOnce each calendar quarter, regardless of the expiration date

For MS811 timing, what is a working day?

• AAny 8-hour shift the contractor actually works, including Sunday overtime
• BA 24-hour period beginning when the ticket is processed, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, an…
• CMonday through Saturday, including state holidays if the job is staffed
• DThe same as a calendar day, including weekends

An excavator pre-marks a proposed excavation with a single white stake and no other boundary marks. What does that single-point pre-mark represent under Mississippi law?

• AThe excavation will stay inside a 10-foot radius of the stake
• BThe proposed excavation area does not exceed 50 feet in any direction from the pre-mark
• CThe entire tax parcel is included in the locate request
• DOnly a 1-foot-wide exploratory pothole will be dug

A backhoe nicks a marked gas line and flammable gas begins to escape. What is the required first notification under Section 77-13-7?

• ACall 911 immediately, then notify MS811 and the operator
• BFinish the day's trench and report the leak on the next working day
• CNotify only the property owner and continue backfilling
• DFile a design information request and wait 7 working days

Excavation damages an underground water line but no hazardous product is escaping. What must the excavator do immediately?

• ANotify MS811 and the operator of the damaged facility and allow reasonable time for repai…
• BCover the break with spoil and continue the trench so the pipe can be repaired later
• CCall only the Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Board after the project is complete
• DSubmit a submerged-excavation ticket and wait 7 working days

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, how quickly must an operator mark or respond to an emergency excavation locate request in Mississippi?

• AWithin 2 hours after the emergency ticket is processed
• BWithin 3 working days, the same as a normal ticket
• CWithin 7 working days, the same as a design request
• DOnly on the next business day after 8:00 a.m.

Which agricultural activity is generally excluded from Mississippi's statutory definition of excavation that requires MS811 notice?

• AInstalling a buried irrigation main 4 feet deep with a trencher
• BTilling the soil less than 24 inches deep for agricultural purposes
• CDigging a farm pond with a hydraulic excavator
• DBlasting stumps in a pasture to install drain tile

Which of the following generally does not require MS811 notice?

• AA contractor using a backhoe to cut a 3-foot-deep ditch on private property
• BA property owner moving earth by hand to a depth of less than 12 inches on that owner's p…
• CDirectional boring a storm-drain crossing under a county road
• DGrading a building pad with a bulldozer

A design engineer needs utility information to prepare bid documents and will not excavate. What MS811 request is appropriate?

• AA normal excavation ticket, which may then be used to start digging
• BA design information request, which may not be used for excavation
• CAn emergency ticket so operators will mark within 2 hours
• DNo request is allowed until a contractor is under contract

Within how many working days must a utility owner or operator respond to a Mississippi design information request?

• A2 hours
• B3 working days
• C7 working days, by marking, providing the best available description or records, or allow…
• D20 calendar days, the same as ticket life

You arrive on site after the locate-by time. There are no paint marks for one member utility. What should you check before assuming the locator failed to show up?

• AThe Positive Response Information System (PRIS) to see whether that operator posted Clear…
• BWhether the county issued a building permit
• CThe PSI candidate bulletin for a one-call exemption
• DWhether the spoil pile is at least 2 feet from the trench

All identified operators have already responded through PRIS that their facilities are not in conflict or have been marked. May the excavator start work before the full three-working-day locate window expires?

• ANo. The excavator must always wait the full three working days.
• BYes. If every identified operator has responded marked or not-in-conflict through PRIS, w…
• CYes, but only if a professional engineer stamps the ticket
• DNo, unless MDOT also posts a Clear response

Under Chapter 13, when is an excavation a large project excavation?

• AWhenever more than one piece of heavy equipment will be used
• BWhen the excavator determines the work cannot reasonably be completed within 20 calendar…
• CWhenever the contract value exceeds the MSBOC commercial-license threshold
• DWhen the trench will be deeper than 5 feet

Which entities are excluded from the Chapter 13 definition of operator?

• AMunicipal water and sewer departments
• BInvestor-owned electric utilities
• CAny railroad and the Mississippi Department of Transportation
• DNatural-gas distribution companies

After a proper notice of intent, you arrive and see evidence of unmarked underground facilities, or you encounter an unmarked line after work starts. What must you do?

• AContinue digging carefully and file a report at the end of the week
• BImmediately contact MS811; notified operators must contact you within 2 hours about known…
• CPaint the suspected line green and treat it as a drain
• DCall only the property owner and resume mechanical excavation

Which operation is included in Mississippi's definition of excavate and therefore generally requires MS811 notice?

• ADriving wooden survey stakes by hand not more than 6 inches deep
• BTilling a field less than 24 inches deep for crops
• CGrading, land leveling, trenching, directional boring, or blasting
• DA property owner loosening the top 8 inches of a flower bed by hand

When performing trenchless excavation such as directional boring across or within a marked tolerance zone, what does Mississippi law require when reasonably practical?

• AUse power-driven boring equipment without exposing the crossing, because marks are exact
• BExpose the planned path by a noninvasive method and carefully monitor the boring device s…
• CIncrease bore depth to 20 feet so the tolerance zone no longer applies
• DFile only a design information request instead of an excavation ticket

An impending emergency locate request is submitted to MS811 at 3:00 p.m. What is the earliest excavation start the statute allows for that notice window?

• AImmediately, the same as a true emergency ticket
• BNot sooner than 8:00 a.m. on the next calendar day
• CAfter 12 hours, even if that is still the same evening
• DAfter 3 working days, the same as a normal ticket

Which of the following is excluded from Mississippi's definition of excavate?

• ADriving wooden stakes by hand tools that do not penetrate more than 6 inches
• BScraping a building pad with a dozer
• CJacking a casing under a driveway
• DAugered holes for fence posts with a power auger

When renewing an MS811 locate request, which proposed excavation location is a violation?

• AOnly the remaining unfinished portion of the job that can reasonably be completed within…
• BAny area in which the excavator has already completed the excavation work
• CA clearly pre-marked remaining work area described on the renewal ticket
• DA submerged area that will be finished within 30 calendar days

While backfilling a storm-drain trench, a marked water main has been exposed and crosses the excavation. What Chapter 13 duty applies?

• AProvide support for the underground facility during excavation and backfilling as reasona…
• BCut and cap the main so backfill can be compacted in one lift
• CLeave the main hanging free so it will settle with the backfill
• DRemove the operator's marks so they are not buried

A rectangular excavation is 27 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 6 feet deep. What is the bank volume in cubic yards?

• A27 cubic yards
• B60 cubic yards
• C162 cubic yards
• D1,620 cubic yards

A cut yields 200 bank cubic yards. The soil has 25 percent swell. How many loose cubic yards must be hauled?

• A150 loose cubic yards
• B200 loose cubic yards
• C225 loose cubic yards
• D250 loose cubic yards

A project will place 500 bank cubic yards of soil that shrinks 20 percent when compacted. How many compacted cubic yards will result?

• A400 compacted cubic yards
• B480 compacted cubic yards
• C500 compacted cubic yards
• D625 compacted cubic yards

You must haul 300 bank cubic yards. Swell is 25 percent and each truck holds 12 loose cubic yards. What is the minimum number of full truckloads required?

• A25 truckloads
• B28 truckloads
• C32 truckloads
• D36 truckloads

A fill requires 750 compacted cubic yards. On-site cut is 800 bank cubic yards that shrinks 15 percent from bank to compacted. How much additional compacted fill must come from borrow?

• A0 cubic yards; the cut more than fills the need
• B70 compacted cubic yards
• C120 compacted cubic yards
• D200 compacted cubic yards

In earthwork estimating, what is bank measure?

• AThe volume of soil after it has been excavated and fluffed in a truck
• BThe in-place volume of undisturbed soil before excavation
• CThe volume after the soil has been placed and compacted in the fill
• DThe volume of water displaced by saturated spoil

What is the primary purpose of finish grading so the ground falls away from a building or paved area?

• ATo increase the swell factor of the remaining spoil
• BTo provide positive drainage and keep stormwater from ponding against the structure
• CTo eliminate the need for any storm inlets on the site
• DTo raise the groundwater table under the slab

A drainage swale is specified at a 2 percent grade. How much vertical fall occurs in 100 feet of horizontal distance?

• A0.2 foot
• B2.0 feet
• C20 feet
• D24 inches per foot

What does a 1 percent grade mean?

• A1 foot of vertical change in 1 foot of horizontal distance
• B1 foot of vertical change in 100 feet of horizontal distance
• C1 inch of vertical change in 1 foot of horizontal distance
• D1 foot of vertical change in 10 feet of horizontal distance