April Is National Safe Digging Awareness Month

Survey finds that nearly half of homeowners who plan to dig this year will put themselves and others at risk by not calling 811 before starting 

Making a free call to 811 before digging for landscaping and other projects can prevent damage to underground utility lines and keep communities safe

ALPHARETTA, GA(April 1, 2015) – Colonial Pipeline today shared results from a recent survey that found nearly half (45 percent) of American homeowners who plan to dig this year as part of landscaping projects, installing a fence or mailbox, or building a deck, pond or patio, will put themselves and their communities at risk by not calling 811 a few days beforehand to learn the approximate location of underground utilities. Extrapolated to the full population of U.S. homeowners, approximately 38.6 million people will dig this year without first having underground utility lines marked.

The national public opinion survey of homeowners, conducted Feb. 25-March 1, 2015, also found that 79 percent of those who plan to dig believe that something negative – such as a service interruption, bodily harm or financial ramifications – could occur if they were to dig without knowing the location of underground utilities.

An underground utility line is damaged once every six minutes nationwide because someone decided to dig without first calling 811, according to data collected by Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the national organization dedicated to protecting underground utility lines and the safety of people who dig near them. 

Everyone who calls 811 a few days before digging is connected to a local one call notification center that will take the caller’s information and communicate it to local utility companies. Professional locators will then visit the dig site to mark the approximate location of underground utility lines with spray paint, flags or both. Once a site has been accurately marked, it is safe to begin digging around the marked areas.

Colonial Pipeline and CGA’s 1,700 members, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and most governors have proclaimed April as National Safe Digging Month as a way to bring extra attention to the issue of underground utility line safety and reduce the risk of unnecessary infrastructure damage. 

As part of National Safe Digging Month, Colonial encourages homeowners to take the following steps when planning a digging project this spring:

• Always call 811 a few days before digging, regardless of the depth or familiarity with the property. 
• Plan ahead. Call on Monday or Tuesday for work planned for an upcoming weekend.
• Confirm with 811 that all lines have been marked. 
• Learn what the various colors of paint and flags represent at www.call811.com/faqs.
• Consider moving the location of your project if it is near utility line markings. 
• If a contractor has been hired, confirm that a call to 811 has been made. Don’t allow work to begin if underground lines have not been marked.

About Colonial Pipeline

Colonial Pipeline operates an underground pipeline system that originates in the Houston, Texas, area and terminates at Linden, N.J., on the New York harbor. Colonial safely delivers more than 100 million gallons a day of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, home heating oil and fuels for the U.S. military. For more information about Colonial, visit www.colpipe.com. For more information about 811 services, visit www.call811.

About the study

SSRS conducted a national omnibus phone study between Feb. 25 and March 1, 2015, on behalf of CGA. A total of 646 American homeowners ages 18+ were asked for their opinions on home and property improvement project topics. The survey had a margin of error of +/- 3.86%.

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