Call 811 to Prevent a Hole Lot of Problems
Call 811 to Prevent a Hole Lot of Problems
It was created in 2005 as a free nationwide call-before-you-dig number.
And 18 years later, 811 is as important as ever to safety, particularly with a vital underground utility line — electrical, gas, water, phone or fiber-optic cable — being damaged every six minutes nationally because contractors and nearly 40% of the country’s estimated 31 million homeowners planning digging projects annually decide to dig without first calling 811.
It happened twice on May 19 when a contractor dug into an electrical line in the City of Industry and knocked out power for 298 Southern California Edison customers in Industry and Hacienda Heights. Three hours later, another contractor dug into an electrical line in Moreno Valley, leaving 1,624 SCE customers without power in that city.
Fortunately, neither incident led to injuries or property damage. Still, they can lead to both, evidenced by an estimated $30 billion in damages from hundreds of thousands of dig-ins nationwide and potential liability for the culprit.
With National 811 Day on Aug. 11, SCE reminds homeowners and contractors that the safest and only way to begin any digging project around the country’s more than 200 million miles of underground utilities is to call 811 or schedule an appointment online (at least two working days beforehand) to have those lines identified and marked for free.
“It’s important to contact 811, no matter how small the digging project,” said Ted Gribble, senior manager of Enterprise Risk Management & Public Safety at SCE. “We strongly urge homeowners and professional excavators alike to call before digging anywhere to keep you and your community safe.”
To prepare for the utilities’ free markings and make these projects safer, homeowners and contractors should pre-mark the area where the digging will occur with white paint, stakes with white flags, chalk or materials like flour or sugar.
SCE offers these additional safety tips to homeowners and others working on digging projects:
- California law requires that you call two working days before your planned excavation, excluding the date of notification. For more information, check out digalert.org/calaw.
- If a contractor is digging, confirm that they have called 811. No work should begin unless the utility lines are marked.
- Consider moving your project’s location if it is too close to utility line markings.
- Use a fiberglass shovel when digging around buried electrical lines.
- Hand tools should be used when digging within 18-24 inches of the outside edge of underground utilities, and utility flags, stakes or paint should be left in place until the project is finished.
- If the utility line is visible, dig in parallel with the utility line and use all precautions when removing the soil from around the utility line.
- If you hit a utility line or encounter any other electrical hazard, such as a down wire, stay away and call 911 immediately.