August 11 (8/11) Serves as Convenient Reminder for Pennsylvania Residents to Always Call 8-1-1 Before Digging

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- With Aug. 11 almost here, PA One Call hopes this date on the calendar, 8/11, will serve as a convenient reminder for homeowners and professional excavators to call 8-1-1 prior to any digging project to have underground utility lines marked. This comes on the heels of a recent report by Common Ground Alliance, which determined an underground utility line is damaged during digging projects once every three minutes nationwide.

When calling 8-1-1, homeowners and professional excavators are connected PA One Call, the one call center for the Commonwealth, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of their intent to dig. The utility companies send professional locators to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with colored flags, spray paint or both.

Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 8-1-1. Installing a mailbox, building a deck, planting a tree and laying a patio are all examples of digging projects that need a call to 8-1-1 before starting.

"On August 11 and throughout the year, we remind homeowners and professional contractors alike to call 8-1-1 before digging to reduce the risk of striking an underground utility line," said Bill Kiger, President and Executive Director for PA One Call.  "Failure to call before digging results in more than 60,000 unintentional hits nationally every year.  We do not want anyone's project to become part of the statistic."  

The depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surfaces. Utility lines need to be properly marked because even when digging only a few inches, the risk of striking an underground utility line still exists.

Visit www.paonecall.org for more information about 8-1-1 and safe digging practices.  

About Pennsylvania One Call System, Inc:  PA One Call is the "Call Before You Dig" nonprofit that serves the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  PA One Call began service to 6 underground facility members in 1972, and today serves more than 3,400 underground facility owner members and more than 100,000 contractors with 650,000 requests for notification and more than 6 million notifications per year.  For more information, visit PA One Call on the web at www.paonecall.org.

About Common Ground Alliance (CGA):  CGA is a member-driven association of nearly 1,400 individuals, organizations and sponsors in every facet of the underground utility industry. Established in 2000, CGA is committed to saving lives and preventing damage to underground infrastructure by promoting effective damage prevention practices. CGA has established itself as the leading organization in an effort to reduce damages to underground facilities in North America through shared responsibility among all stakeholders. For more information, visit CGA on the web at www.commongroundalliance.com.

SOURCE Pittsburgh Technology Council