April is National Safe Digging Month and UDig NY urges Upstate New York homeowners to take an important step to protect themselves and their communities, the group said in a press release.
Digging without knowing the approximate location of underground utility lines is a mistake that can result in injury, repair costs, fines and outages. Despite this, a national survey conducted by the Common Ground Alliance this spring found that more than half of homeowners who are planning digging projects this year do not intend to call 811 beforehand, the release said.
UDig NY urges anyone planning a digging project in Upstate New York to protect themselves and their community by visiting UDigNY.org or by calling 811 to place a location request. According to the release, location requests are free and should be placed at least two business days, but not more than 10 days, before beginning an excavation project.
“Digging without placing a location request to learn the approximate location of buried utilities is a risk no one should take,” said UDig NY Executive Director Kevin Hopper in the release. “This National Safe Digging Month, I encourage anyone planning a project that involves digging to take this simple but important step.”
After a location request is placed, the release said UDig NY processes and provides the information to the member facility operators who are responsible for marking out the approximate location of any underground public utilities in the dig area, helping excavators to dig safely.
In addition to placing a location request, anyone planning a digging project should familiarize themselves with important safe-digging concepts like the APWA Uniform Color Code — the colors that are used to mark out the type and approximate location of underground utility lines. To learn more about placing a location request, understanding a markout and other important safety topics, visit UDigNY.org.
UDig NY provides many additional resources to learn about safe digging best practices, the release said. These include the Certified Excavator in Safe Digging Best Practices (CEP) program, which is available online and at a variety of in-person events throughout the year.
Resources for trade school and high school students can be found at UDigNY.org/students. Resources to teach children about safe digging, including games and activities, are available from UDig NY at kids.UDigNY.org.