Homeowners at risk by not contacting 811 before digging

April is National Safe Digging Month

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ/NEWS RELEASE) – April is National Safe Digging Month. To highlight the need for increased awareness around safe digging, a recent study by the Common Ground Alliance revealed that almost half of U.S. homeowners will put themselves and their families at risk this year by not contacting 811 beforehand to learn the approximate location of underground utility lines.

Digging without knowing the approximate location of underground utilities can result in serious injuries, inconvenient service disruptions and costly repairs when gas, electric, communications, water and sewer lines are damaged.

Making a free call to 811 or contacting 811now.org at least two business days before digging will help homeowners maintain essential utility service for themselves and neighbors and keep communities safe, by reducing the likelihood of
accidentally digging into buried utility lines.

Those who call 811 at least two business days before digging are connected to a one call notification center that will take the caller’s information and communicate it to local utility companies. Professional locators will then visit the dig site to mark the approximate location of underground utility lines with spray paint, flags or both.

Once a site has been accurately marked, it is safe to begin digging around the marked areas.

As part of National Safe Digging Month, Columbia Gas of Kentucky encourages homeowners to Know Your Home and totake the following steps when planning a digging project this spring:

● Always call 811 or contact 811now.org at least two full business 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. To view the status of locate requests, visit
https://811.kentucky811.org/login.

● Once lines are marked, only hand dig within 24” on either side of the width of the utility line.
● 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 contacted 811. Don’t allow work to begin if the lines
aren’t marked.

● Visit kentucky811.org for complete info.