April’s Safe Digging Month is a good time to remind the community to call 811 before digging.
FROM NV ENERGY
With springtime officially here, NV Energy would like to remind homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, gardeners, landscapers, and excavating contractors that projects requiring digging with powered equipment or even a shovel require a call to 811 before the digging begins.
Every nine minutes an underground utility is damaged somewhere in the United States because someone didn’t call 811 before digging. Hitting an underground utility line while digging can harm yourself or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood, and incur fines and repair costs.
“You need to call 811 for every digging job, from planting shrubs to building a deck,” said Jesse Murray, NV Energy vice president of gas delivery. “Calling 811 two working days before you dig will allow NV Energy and other utilities to come out and properly mark all underground utilities. This helps to ensure your safety when completing a project. The service is free, so there is no reason not to call.”
The process is simple.
- First, pre-mark your dig area in white. Home improvement and hardware stores sell marking paint for this purpose, but if you have a can of white spray paint, that will work well too.
- Then call 811 or visit call811.com at least two working days prior to digging. Tell the operator where you are planning to dig and what type of work you will be doing, and all utility operators will receive notification about your intent to dig.
- A locator will then be sent to mark the approximate location of the underground lines, pipes, and cables so you’ll know what’s below and be able to dig safely.
For more information, visit NV Energy’s Call Before You Dig website: www.nvenergy.com/safety/call-before-you-dig
