811 Day – Do You Dig It?
Safety is the #1 priority for the natural gas industry, that’s why every August 11th (8/11) utilities across the country celebrate National Call Before You Dig Day, a day dedicated to promoting safe digging.
“Call Before You Dig” is essential for protecting buried infrastructure, including the natural gas lines that fuel our homes and communities. Calling 811 is for everyone — whether you’re a seasoned contractor or a DIYer, getting your underground infrastructure marked is essential to keeping you safe and making sure your project goes off without a hitch!
Before any digging project, call 811 to help prevent injuries, service outages and costly damage to underground utilities. Even a small projects can disturb buried natural gas, electric, water, communications or sewer lines – any time you’re disturbing ground there’s risk. Hitting a line can put you and your neighbors at risk, interrupt essential service across a community, or delay your project with repairs that could have been avoided.
Calling 811 connects homeowners, contractors and anyone planning to dig with their local one-call center, but what exactly happens after you call 811?
- You submit a request. Call 811 or use your state’s 811 website a few days before digging and detail the project location, timing and type of work.
- Your local 811 center notifies utilities. The one-call center alerts affected utility operators in your area, so they know where work is planned.
- Utility professionals mark buried lines. Locators visit the site and mark the location of underground utilities with color-coded paint or flags.
- You confirm and respect the marks. Make sure all utilities have responded, keep the marks visible and request a re-mark if they fade or your project timeline changes.
- You dig carefully. Avoid digging on or near marked lines, follow local safe-digging requirements and use extra caution around any marked utility.
Any project that involves disturbing the ground, whether that be planting a tree, adding a fence, installing a new mailbox or building a deck, warrants a call to 811. When in doubt, it’s always best to be safe and check in with your local utility about any questions you may have about what lies beneath your property.
So, this 811 Day, call 811 before you dig. It’s quick, free and the best way to keep your family and community safe and sound.