Call before you dig
- Common Ground Alliance used April’s National Safe Digging Month to warn that about 60 million U.S. households expect to dig this year, while roughly 10 million still plan to skip 811. - The group said utility lines can sit just inches below ground, putting even shallow jobs like low-voltage lighting, mailboxes, shrubs, decks and fence posts at risk. - Federal and industry guidance says every excavation should start with a free 811 locate request made a few business days ahead. (commongroundalliance.com)
About 60 million U.S. households plan an outdoor digging project this year, and Common Ground Alliance says roughly 10 million of them may start without contacting 811 first. (commongroundalliance.com) That warning landed during April’s National Safe Digging Month, the annual campaign built around the national call-before-you-dig system. Common Ground Alliance said 74% of American homeowners expect to tackle a digging project in the next 12 months. (commongroundalliance.com 1) (commongroundalliance.com 2) The basic rule is simple: call 811 or file through your state 811 center a few business days before breaking ground, then wait for utilities to mark the approximate location of buried lines with paint or flags. The service is free. (811beforeyoudig.com 1) (811beforeyoudig.com 2) That applies to small jobs, not just backhoe work. The 811 campaign lists planting trees and shrubs, installing fences and mailboxes, and other shallow projects as digs that require a ticket before work starts. (811beforeyoudig.com 1) (811beforeyoudig.com 2) Low-voltage lighting and conduit runs fall into the same category because the hazard is not voltage at the fixture but what sits underground nearby: gas, electric, water, sewer and communications lines. Common Ground Alliance says some utilities are buried only inches below the surface. (commongroundalliance.com) (811beforeyoudig.com) The national 811 site says buried-utility damage costs the United States about $30 billion a year in repairs and broader societal impacts. It also says not contacting 811 is the top driver of those incidents. (811beforeyoudig.com) Federal safety rules go beyond public-service advice. Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations say the estimated location of sewer, telephone, fuel, electric and water lines must be determined before an excavation is opened, and utility owners must be contacted before digging begins. (osha.gov) The same Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidance says excavation hazards are not limited to buried lines. Its trenching eTool tells employers to account for electrical hazards from both overhead and underground power lines. (osha.gov) Utilities and local operators are pushing the same message this spring. Con Edison said on April 20 that homeowners and contractors should call 811 before projects including decks, patios, pools, waterproofing, flower beds and mailboxes, because New York City and Westchester sit above a dense network of gas, electric and steam equipment. (coned.com) After the markings are down, the 811 campaign tells diggers to confirm all utilities have responded and to work carefully around the marks. If a planned trench for lighting or conduit runs too close to a marked line, the guidance says to relocate the project rather than assume clearance. (811beforeyoudig.com) (811beforeyoudig.com) The spring rush is what turns a routine reminder into a recurring safety story. The first shovel for a pathway light or fence post can still hit a gas main, communications cable or electric line if the locate request never went in. (commongroundalliance.com) (811beforeyoudig.com)
