PROTECT YOURSELF: CALL BEFORE YOU DIG

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Know What’s Belowfor Your Safety and the Safety of Others

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WHAT IS 811?

811 is the national number designated by the Federal Communications Commission to help protect do-it-yourselfers, landscapers and contractors from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines while working on digging projects – large and small. 

WHY CALL 811?

Every digging project requires a call to 811. Hitting an underground utility line while digging can cause damage to the environment, serious personal injuries, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and potentially incur fines and repair costs.  

WHEN TO CALL 811?

•Installing a rural mailbox•Putting in a fence•Planting trees or shrubs•Building a patio or deck•Excavating a new garden area•? These are a few common examples of when to call. You should call at least two days before any digging project.

 

HOW DOES 811 WORK?

•One easy phone call to 811, at least two days prior to digging, starts the process of getting your underground utility lines marked for free.•When you call 811 from anywhere in the country, a representative from your local one call center will answer your call. •The representative will ask you for the location and description of your digging job, and will notify affected utility companies, who will then send a professional locator to the proposed dig site to mark the approximate location of your lines.

Once your underground lines have been marked, you will know the approximate location of your utility lines and can dig safely. 

WHAT IF I DON’T CALL?

•In the United States, there is one unintentional hit every three minutes, which can lead to injury, repair costs, fines and expensive and inconvenient outages.•37% of these incidents are caused due to a failure to call 811 before digging. •Another 37% of incidents are caused due to not digging safely around the marks. •Knowing approximately where underground utility lines are buried before each digging project helps to prevent these situations. 

Outline your work area in white paint* Call 811 (the “One Call” Center) two working

days before starting your excavation Provide the “One Call” operator accurate

information about the excavation Give the operator any special instructions

for utility operators Allow two working days for utility operators

to mark their buried facilities

STEPS FOR SAFE EXCAVATION

Use caution when excavating around marked utility lines

Never plant trees or other objects directly above buried utility lines

Take caution when determining locations for driving tree stakes into the ground for tree support

Take caution when installing concrete forms to avoid driving stakes through buried utilities

If you have any questions regarding excavating around a utility line, contact the facility operator for instructions

SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS

Contact the utility if you damage or make contact with a buried utility line

If you break a natural gas line, move to a safe location, call 911 and Southwest Gas. Never attempt to control the gas flow or make repairs to gas or any utility line if damage occurs.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

When calling 811, be specific in describing the location where the work will occur

Pre-mark your work area in white paint* Advise utilities to use stakes or ‘whiskers’ to

reduce paint on the ground Remember the person calling in the Locate

Request is responsible to remove all locate markings, not the utilities.

PROTECT AGAINST OVER MARKING

UNIFORM COLOR CODE

PROVIDED BY THE NEVADA REGIONAL COMMON GROUND ALLIANCE AND

THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF NEVADA

THANK YOU