National 811 Day a Reminder to Contractors and Homeowners to Call 811 Before All Digging Projects, Large or Small
11 Agosto 2022 - 11:38AM
Business Wire
PG&E Joins in Recognizing National 811
Day to Help Protect Customer Safety
Today, Aug. 11, is National 811 Day and Pacific Gas and Electric
Company is joining together with utilities across the country to
help spread the word about the risks of digging at any depth
without placing a free call to 811 to have all underground gas,
electric, and other service lines marked prior to starting any
digging project.
Customers, contractors and anyone planning to dig at any depth,
should place a toll-free call to the free 811 service a minimum of
two business days prior to starting the project. Utility workers
will respond to the call at no cost to the customer to locate and
mark the location of underground lines. Making the free call will
help avoid safety incidents including injuries, property damage,
and costly repairs.
“Calling 811 is free, easy and fast, and will help you keep your
family and neighbors safe and connected to essential utility
services. Hitting an underground gas or electric line while digging
can be dangerous. Knowing where the lines are located, so that
digging can be done safely in those areas, is the best way to avoid
a safety incident and avoid costs associated with repair,” said Joe
Forline, Senior Vice President, PG&E Gas Operations.
Underground utility lines can be shallow, sometimes only a few
inches below the surface, due to erosion, previous digging
projects, shifting or settling of the ground and uneven surfaces.
And damaging an underground utility line while digging is
expensive, with repairs averaging $3,500. A call to 811 is the best
safeguard and the first line of defense to help keep your family
and neighbors safe, and to avoid expensive repairs.
So far this year (Jan.-July 2022), throughout PG&E’s service
area of Northern and Central California:
- There have been 737 incidents where underground utility lines
were damaged due to digging, and in 54 percent of incidents when an
underground utility line was damaged due to digging, 811 was not
called
- For homeowners specifically, that percentage rises to 92
percent
- The average cost to repair a damaged utility line is
$3,500
- Leading causes of damages to underground utility lines while
digging include: building or replacing a fence, gardening and
landscaping, planting a tree or removing a stump, sewer and
irrigation work and building a deck or patio
Calling 811 is Fast and Free:
- Customers should call 811 a minimum of two business days before
beginning any project that involves digging, no matter how large or
small. Customers can also visit 811express.com to have underground
utility lines marked for their project site.
- Professional utility workers for all utilities (gas, electric,
water, sewer and telecommunications) will be dispatched to mark the
location of all underground utility lines for the project site with
flags, spray paint, or both.
- The 811 call center serving Central and Northern California,
USA North, is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will
provide Spanish and other translation services.
PG&E Safe Digging Tips:
- Mark project area in white: Identify the digging
location by drawing a box around the area using white paint, white
stakes, white flags, white chalk or even white baking flour.
- Call 811 or submit an online request a minimum of two
working days before digging: Be prepared to provide the address
and general location of the project, project start date and type of
digging activity. PG&E and other utilities will identify
underground facilities in the area for free. Requests can be
submitted a maximum of 14 days prior to the start of the
project.
- Dig safely: Use hand tools when digging within 24 inches
of the outside edge of underground lines. Leave utility flags,
stakes or paint marks in place until the project is finished.
Backfill and compact the soil.
- Be aware of signs of a natural gas leak: Smell for a
“rotten egg” odor, listen for hissing, whistling or roaring sounds
and look for dirt spraying into the air, bubbling in a pond or
creek and dead/dying vegetation in an otherwise moist area.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric
utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square
miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.
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