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CNY Homeowners, Contractors Encouraged to "Call 811" and "Dig Safely" to Avoid Damaging Utilities

Jason Chen
/
WAER News

Every six minutes, an underground utility line is damaged somewhere in the United States.  August 11 is National 811 Dig Safely Day (get it? 8/11?). National Grid Damage Prevention Supervisor Annette Wisniewski said it’s important to identify underground utilities before doing any digging in the yard to ensure safety and prevent damage.

“Whether you are a contractor doing a major road project or a homeowner digging to put in a basketball hoop, swimming pool or tree, the same utilities exist underground," Wisniewski said. "When they don’t identify there is a danger that those utilities can be damaged, it could be a threat to life and safety.”

Wisniewski said there have been over 300 accidental digging incidents in Upstate New York this year.  That's an average of more than one per day.

It’s all utilities that exist underground," Wisniewski said. "There is a large utility infrastructure in our entire nation. National Grid of course is concerned about our gas and electricity, but there is also water, sewer, telecommunication line and maybe something even as simple as a private line that could be a dog fence line, a private electric line or even a private gas line. Those are all things that the contractors, excavators and private home owners want to be aware of.”

Ballard Construction Project Manager Scott Thayer says marking utility lines allows them to do their work much easier and quicker.

That really is the bottom line,” Thayer said. “Without knowing where they are, it’s impossible for us to not to have accidents.”

Credit Jason Chen / WAER News
/
WAER News
National Grid Damage Prevention Supervisor Annette Wisniewski said damage to utility services by excavation equipment happens not only in Central New York but across the country.

  Hitting an underground utility line can cause inconvenient outages and injuries, and sometimes even death. That’s according to Dig Safely New York Marketing and Public Relations Manager Aimee Milks.  She says there’s a reason the professionals should mark-off underground utilities from the surface ahead of any work.

Even if you think you know where your underground utility lines are, things happen," Milks said. "Time happens, and lines move because of erosion and shifting. Making sure you contact 811 before digging to locate those underground lines is very vital to your job, your safety and your community.”

Milks said the NY Public Service Commission can fine contractors up to $2,500 for one incident and up to $10,000 for any additional incident up to a 12 month period.

According to National Grid, there were 959 natural gas or electrical network incidents caused by damage to the system in the company’s New York service area in 2015.

State law requires contacting Dig Safely New York by calling 811 at least two full working days before excavation. Online service requests are also available at digsafelynewyork.com.