Phone 811 before you start digging

FINGER LAKES-A crowd of more than 440 attended the 11th annual excavator safety seminar sponsored by "Dig Safely New York, Inc." last Thursday, March 30, at the Watkins Glen community center.
The free seminar highlighted the importance of calling 811 before digging into ground at any depth. By "knowing before you dig" damage to underground infrastructure can be avoided.
Calling 811 activates the free service of Dig Safely New York. Once the call is received, all the pertinent utility and communication companies in the area are notified. They must come to the property free of charge within 48 hours and mark all their lines.
Kevin Hopper, executive director of Dig Safely, said, "There are so many consequences to not calling, it just doesn't make sense not to call. Calling reduces the chances of doing damage to one percent." He says that despite that fact, every six minutes, an underground gas, electric, communications, water or sewer line is damaged because someone decided not to call 811.
The main reasons noted for failure to call 811 include over confidence (I've been doing this 30 years and never hit a line) and being in a hurry (I don't have time to call, it's going to rain later). Complacency (I just dug here last year) and making assumptions (The gas line can't run under the house) can also play a role.
The Dig Safely team emphasized that underground lines and terrain shift and change over time. Lines do not always run together nor do they run in logical, predictable or consistent paths. Constant vigilance and taking the time to plan ahead is the safe path.
Brad Gradner, the keynote speaker, lost his arm in an industrial accident that he says was preventable at many points along a continuum of decision making within his company. He says that anyone and everyone within the environment of his accident could have stopped it, including himself. He lectures on the importance of everyone participating in keeping each other safe and says if you see something unsafe, say something to stop it.
For more information call 811 or visit www.digsafelyNY.com on the web.