FOR SAFETY SAKE

APRIL IS NATIONAL ‘SAFE DIGGING’ MONTH

A utility line is damaged by digging once every 3 minutes nationwide. One-third of these incidents are caused by failure of the professional excavator to locate such lines prior to beginning their digging project. Because April marks the start of spring digging season, and is also National Safe Digging Month, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that it is your obligation to promote safe digging practices within your company and to call the Ohio Utilities Protection Services (O.U.P.S.) at 811 before any digging or excavation project.

WHY SHOULD YOU CALL BEFORE YOU DIG? Calling 811 before you dig can prevent utility outages, property damage, personal injury and even death. Calling 811 before you dig is important for safety reason, but it’s also the law. By law, everyone must call OUPS at 811 to get utilities marked before they dig. • ORC Sec. 3781.28. (A) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (C), (DJ, (E), and (F) of this section, at least forty-eight hours but not more than ten working days before commencing excavation, the excavator shall notify a protection service of the location of the excavation site and the date on which excavation is planned to commence.

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HOW TO GET UTILITIES MARKED BEFORE YOU DIG

Anyone can get underground utilities marked by calling 811 or 1-800-362-2764, or by submitting an online dig request at www.oups.org. When calling 811, Ohioans are connected to Ohio Utilities Protection Service, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of the intent to dig.

• Citizens and contractors should mark the area in which they intend to dig with white flags or white spray paint.

Pre-marking the proposed dig site is also required by law. • Professional locators are then sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags or spray paint. • Once lines have been accurately marked, digging can begin around marked lines. • Digging inside of the tolerance zone of a utility must be done by hand digging in safe and prudent manner. The tolerance zone of a utility is 18” on either side of the line plus the line diameter (if diameter is not noted, it is assumed to be 2”). • Anyone can visit http://newtina.oups.org/newtinweb

ResponseDisplay.nas, type in their ticket number, and see how each utility has responded to their ticket. This system is called “Positive Response,” which is now required by law. WHEN SHOULD YOU CALL O.U.P.S. AT 811? Before beginning any digging project, citizens and businesses should call 811 at least 48 hours, but no more than 10 working days (excluding weekends and legal holidays).

Some digging projects that would require a call to 811 might include:

• Landscaping • Digging holes for fence posts or a mailbox • Anchoring supports for decks and swings sets • Planting trees • Removing tree roots • Driving landscaping stakes into the ground • Installing a retainer wall

Even small digging projects can cause utility damage and outages, property damage, and personal injury. Always call 811 before you dig!

WHAT ARE UTILITY COLOR CODES? When utility company representatives mark a location, they use colored flags and/or paint to identify the type of underground service.

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• Red - Electric power lines, cables, conduit & lighting cables. • Yellow - Gas, oil, steam, petroleum or gaseous materials. • Orange - Communication, alarm lines, cables or conduit. • Blue - Potable water. • Purple - Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines. • Green - Sewers and drain lines. • Pink - Temporary survey markings. • White - Proposed excavating.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HIT A UTILITY LINE For your safety, always walk away immediately and take steps to clear the area to protect yourself and your crew. If a substance starts releasing into the air, call 911 immediately. In all instances, contact the utility company responsible for the line.

• Never try to repair, or stop a leak yourself. • Don’t use anything in proximity to a compromised utility that might create a spark, such as a cell phone.

Safe digging is no accident. Please join us in an effort to keep our communities safe and connected.

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