Utility companies unite on 8/11 to urge public to call 811 before you dig

Utility companies have mobilized to let the public know that Aug. 11 is National Safe Digging Day, a reminder to call 811 before starting any digging project in order to prevent damage to underground utilities.

Homeowners, contractors and excavators are urged to make a free call to 811 to have underground utility lines marked before digging into the ground for any project – no matter how small. Not knowing where underground utility lines are before digging can result in damage to power, gas, cable, telephone and water and sewer lines, which can ultimately lead to serious injuries, interruptions in service, and expensive repairs.

According to the Common Ground Alliance, a nationwide organization of more than 1,700 members in the underground utility industry devoted to protecting infrastructure and the public, the efforts to increase awareness of the Call 811 effort has decreased the number of times a contractor or homeowner has inadvertently cut utility lines underground.

In a survey by the organization released earlier this year, as many as 42 percent of homeowners who plan to dig this year for projects like landscaping, installing a fence or mailbox, or building a deck, pond or patio and other DIY projects, will put themselves and their communities at risk by not calling 811 a few days beforehand to learn the approximate location of underground utilities.

According to the Department of Transportation, every state has established a one-call notification center and requires contractors and homeowners to call the number 48 to 72 hours prior to digging in order to determine if there are underground utilities in the area. Once the call is made, utility companies have two days to identify where the lines are by painting the surface with white paint and marking it with flags.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) noted that there were 2,834 reports of damage to underground utilities statewide caused by digging into utility lines. Over the first six months of this year, there were 1,169 digging-related reports of damage. The damage reports not only hurt utilities but contractors as well, the UTC said.

“Last year, UTC pipeline safety inspectors investigated more than 107 dig incidents and sent 480 warning letters,” the commission said in a statement. “The commission issued more than $160,000 in penalties against excavators for violations of the dig law, many of which resulted in interruptions to essential water, telecommunications, natural gas, and electric services.”

San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Company said it allows customers to call 811, or to file a ticket to mark utility lines online.

“The safety of our customers, employees and the communities we serve is our most important responsibility and that includes safe digging any time of year,” said Mel Christopher, PG&E’s vice president for Gas Operations. “Guessing or assuming the location of an underground gas line is dangerous, and the consequences of hitting the unmarked line can be serious,” he added. “No digging project is too small. Whether you’re a contractor building a high-rise building or a homeowner installing a fence or conducting landscaping or renovation, calling 811 can prevent damages and injury and even save a life.”

PG&E said there were over 1,700 damage reports to its underground infrastructure in 2018, half of which resulted from not using the 811 service to identify buried utility lines. Twenty-two percent of those were residential dig-ins. According to PG&E, 86 percent of the residential damage incidents were the result of the homeowner not calling 811 in advance.

“The call to 811 is fast, free, and mandatory under Ohio law,” noted Jim Eck, Dominion Energy’s Vice President and General Manager, Ohio & West Virginia Distribution. Dominion Energy saw 500 incidents in Ohio through July 31 of this year due to damage to underground utilities.