Safe Digging Month
By Haig Artan
April is Safe Digging Month and a great time to:
– Protect your bottom line and safety
– Avoid unnecessary physical risk and utility outages
– Prevent avoidable losses
“Calling 811 Before Your Contractor Digs” meets these goals! Share this important safety information with everyone.
At issue:
– There are miles and miles of underground utilities that link communities to energy, water/sewer and communications centers. These vital links are at risk whenever a stake, shovel, boring, or mechanized excavation device is put in the ground
– Risk of personal injury as well as catastrophic explosions, not to mention financial consequences of unsafe digging are an ever-present risk whenever we dig
What you can do:
Pass on the following important messages to your contractor and facility owners:
– Never dig (or authorize others to dig on your behalf) without having all underground services located at least 48 hours before excavating begins by Calling 811, A National One Call Number
– Always follow best practices when excavating (download Common Ground Alliance’s Best Practices 8.0 from the Common Ground Alliance website, commongroundalliance.org).
Great information built from great industry collaboration!