Dig Safely. Four simple steps that could save your life.
Whether you are a private homeowner installing a mailbox, or a professional contractor digging up a city street, you are required by law to notify your local one-call utility notification center 48 to 72 hours prior to digging. This is very important.
Careless digging poses a threat to pipelines and other underground facilities and, consequently, to people. There are hundreds of thousands of incidents each year in which underground facilities are damaged during excavation, with many of these resulting in injuries and fatalities.
States have established "One-Call Centers" for you to call before digging. In the U.S., over 15 million calls are handled each year. The use of One-Call Centers, along with other damage prevention initiatives, has significantly increased excavation safety. However, accidents still occur, and a major reason is that many people who dig do not make the necessary call.
When digging, people often decide not to call or neglect to call to request that underground utilities be located and marked. This may result from their concerns about project delays or costs. This may also result from their assumptions that there are no underground facilities involved or that previous calls for other projects will suffice. Failure to call before digging can lead to hazardous consequences. Now you can simply dial “811” to reach your One-Call Center, regardless of where you are digging.
Smart digging means calling 811 before each job. Whether you are a homeowner or a professional excavator, one call to 811 gets underground utility lines in the area in which you are digging marked for FREE.
Every digging job requires that you call — even small projects like planting trees or shrubs. If you hit an underground utility line while digging, you can harm yourself or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and potentially be responsible for fines and repair costs.
If, for some reason, you can’t connect to your One-Call Center by dialing 811, you may dial 1-888-258-0808 to get the toll-free direct-dial number. You may also visit DigSafely.com to get the number. Remember that it is your responsibility — you must contact your One-Call Center before digging.
The One-Call Center will collect information about the location of your intended dig and then contact the companies in your area who operate underground facilities such as hazardous liquid and natural gas pipelines, telecommunications systems, electrical utilities, and sewer and water pipelines. Those companies will promptly visit the excavation site and mark the exact location of their facilities with flags or paint.
Don't assume you know what's below. Protect yourself and those around you. Call your One-Call Center every time you dig. The call is free and there is no cost to you for having the underground lines marked.
It is your responsibility to Call before you dig, Wait the required time for facilities to be located and marked, Respect the marks and Dig with care to avoid damaging underground facilities.
Remember - these four steps could save your life and the lives of others.