Safe Digging Month is reminder to Nevadans to call 811 or place online requests before excavation projects
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sun, 04/04/2021 - 12:02pm
CARSON CITY — April marks the annual National Safe Digging Month, reminding Nevada residents to call the statewide 811 hotline (“Call Before You Dig” program) or place online requests through www.811express.com two working days before beginning any digging project.
The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) supports the efforts of the Nevada Regional Common Ground Alliance, sponsors of National Safe Digging Month in the Silver State.
“Calling 811 a few days before any planned home improvement projects that require digging — including common landscaping projects like planting trees and shrubs — is critical to preventing incidents like utility service outages and serious injuries,” said Neil Pascual, PUCN Senior Gas Pipeline Engineer.
When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to USA North, Nevada’s 811 call center. USA North notifies the appropriate utility companies of the homeowner’s or contractor’s intent to dig.
Professional locators are then sent to the requested dig site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, paint or both. Pascual encourages homeowners to take the following steps when planning a digging project this spring:
— Always call 811 a few days before digging, regardless of the depth or familiarity with the property.
— Plan ahead. Call on Monday or Tuesday for work planned for an upcoming weekend, providing ample time for the approximate location of lines to be marked.
— Confirm that all lines have been marked.
— Consider moving the location of your project if it is near utility line markings.
— If a contractor has been hired, confirm that the contractor has called 811. Don’t allow work to begin if the lines aren’t marked.
When natural gas pipelines have been damaged and natural gas is escaping, the following steps
are the most important to take, according to Pascual: “Immediately cease work, evacuate the impacted area to minimize the hazard presented by the damaged pipeline, telephone emergency 911 services from a safe area and contact the utility operator.”
Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. The depth of utility lines can vary for several reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surfaces. Utility lines need to be properly marked because even when digging only a few inches, the risk of striking an underground utility line still exists. Every six minutes an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without first calling 811.
For more information about safe digging procedures, please visit www.call811.com, www.usanorth811.org or www.puc.nv.gov.
