NewsBreak! Articles > August 10, 2011

CALL BEFORE YOU DIG - IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE

Carolinas AGC Reminds the Carolinas to Call 811 Before Digging

On 8/11 and throughout the year, Carolinas AGC urges professional contractors and homeowners to call 811 before digging - a free call that essentially saves time, money, and most of all, lives. "By calling 811 before digging on a project site or in your own backyard, utility owners and operators can accurately locate their facilities to eliminate the risk of striking an underground utility line," said Allen Gray, Utility Division Director for Carolinas AGC. "It really is the only way to know which utilities are buried in your area of excavation."

When calling 811, homeowners and contractors in the Carolinas are connected to either South Carolina 811 or North Carolina 811, the local one-call centers, which then notifies the appropriate utility companies. Utility owners and operators then respond by having their lines marked in the area of proposed excavation. This process is a shared responsibility with excavators, utility owners and operators, and one call centers working together to ensure public and workforce safety, as well as the integrity of vital facilities.

Every digging project - no matter how large or small (installing a mailbox, planting a tree, laying a patio, etc.) - warrants a call to 811 before beginning a project. This comes on the heels of a recent report by the Common Ground Alliance, which determined that nationwide an underground utility line is damaged during digging every three minutes.

For additional information contact Allen Gray, CAGC Utility Division Director, 704-372-1450 ext. 5231,

.