Common Ground Alliance Teams with 3M and Race Car Driver Greg Biffle to Promote National Safe Digging Month This April

WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the nation's leading organization focused on protecting underground utility lines and the safety of people who dig near them, today announced it has collaborated with CGA member 3M and Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, to promote National Safe Digging Month this April.

Biffle, well-known in the racing community for building his own house and doing other projects that involve digging, will promote National Safe Digging Month, most notably by featuring the logo of 811, the national "Call Before You Dig" number, on the hood, deck lid and spoiler of his No. 16 3M car during the April 25 race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala.

In addition to the prominent placement of the 811 logo at Talladega, Biffle will serve as the National Safe Digging Month spokesperson throughout April.

A quick and easy call to 811 before digging helps protect people from unintentionally hitting underground pipelines, cables and utility lines, which can put the person who digs at risk and cause service interruptions to entire communities. Every digging job requires a call - even small projects like planting trees or shrubs.

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

"As a do-it-yourselfer, and someone who is known for being hands-on when it comes to my activities off the track, I strongly encourage everyone to call 811 before breaking ground to have all underground utility lines marked," said Biffle. "This simple call will help you avoid cutting a cable or electric line, or any other utility for that matter, keeping you and your neighbors safe and connected, and ensuring you don't miss a minute of action on race day or any other day."  

3M, an international leader in utility and utility locating products, as well as utility damage prevention, was instrumental in securing the collaboration with Greg Biffle, which will benefit all CGA stakeholders by raising awareness of 811, the national "Call Before You Dig" number.

"3M is proud to support National Safe Digging Month and the 'Call 811 Before You Dig' message. Our alliance with Greg Biffle creates another way to raise awareness of this important safety issue," said Rory Yanchek, general manager, Track and Trace Solutions at 3M. "We look forward to the increased exposure this campaign will no doubt produce."

"The CGA is very appreciative of the support of members  like 3M that have a similar desire to keep Americans safe and protect our country's vast and complex underground infrastructure," said Bob Kipp, President of Common Ground Alliance. "This partnership provides a great opportunity to promote 811 and remind millions of Americans of their responsibility to call before digging."

The Talladega race is scheduled for Sunday, April 25 at 1 p.m. EDT on FOX.

About 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 American 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 http://www.commongroundalliance.com.

About 3M

A recognized leader in research and development, 3M produces thousands of innovative products for dozens of diverse markets. 3M's core strength is applying its more than 40 distinct technology platforms - often in combination - to a wide array of customer needs. With $23 billion in sales, 3M employs 75,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit http://www.3M.com.

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SOURCE Common Ground Alliance