April is National Safe Digging Month. Careless digging poses a threat to people, pipelines and other underground facilities, so in April, we highlight the importance of safe digging to remind homeowners and contractors about the dangers that reckless digging can cause.
Each year, damage to underground facilities results in incidents that include injuries and fatalities. To help ensure your safety, you are required to call 811 —a toll-free, one-call notification center— 48 to 72 hours before beginning any excavation or digging projects. By calling 811, you can verify the location of any underground facilities in and around your excavation site, such as hazardous liquid and natural gas pipelines, telecommunications systems, electrical utilities, sewer pipelines and water pipelines.
Remember, the required call even applies to small projects like planting trees and shrubs and installing mailboxes and swing sets. It doesn’t matter how modest the project is, accidentally hitting an underground utility line or other facility can cause harm to you and those around you.
Visit the Call 811 homepage to learn more about safe digging or use the #call811 hashtag on Twitter or Facebook to see what everyone else is saying about safe digging throughout the month of April.
Most importantly, don’t forget that you’re required to call 811 48 to 72 hours before any digging project to help ensure safety and prevent threats to underground facilities. There is no cost to you, so Call 811 Before You Dig.
