The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Customers reminded to call 811 before digging
The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) recently announced that it is participating in the nationwide effort to recognize April 2021, as “Safe Digging Month.”
Highlighting the importance of safe digging helps to remind excavators and contractors that State law requires them to call one of the State’s toll-free One-call Centers before starting any excavation or digging project.
“April is the beginning of the construction digging season,” Chair John B. Howard stated.
“Damage to underground utility facilities during excavation can result in loss of utility service, personal injury and property damage, so we are urging everyone who is going to be excavating to do their part in protecting crucial underground infrastructure by simply dialing 811 before digging,” Howard explained.
New York State Gas & Electric (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) also reminded homeowners and contractors starting any projects that involve excavation or digging to have underground utilities marked to prevent damage. This is essential to protect themselves and others from injury and prevent damage to the electric lines and gas pipes that lay underground.
Customers and contractors are reminded to contact Dig Safely New York by calling 811 at least two and no more than 10 full working days before the start of any excavation project. Underground utility marking requests can also be submitted online at digsafelynewyork.com.
“Whether you’re putting in a foundation or building a deck, making this simple call will help keep everyone safe,” Al Langland, Vice President of Gas Operations at NYSEG and RG&E opined.
“Contractors are required by law to call Dig Safely New York before digging, and we strongly encourage do-it-yourselfers to call as well,” Langland added.
Dig Safely New York is free and available to receive calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Follow these tips for a safer project:
• Plan to have underground utilities marked as part of all underground construction
• Mark out the area of construction
• Call Dig Safely New York, a free and easy service at 811 or 1.800.962.7962
• Provide adequate training and supervision on a jobsite to assure that good construction practices are followed
• Properly maintain all underground utility markings
• Hand dig in the area of underground facilities
• Provide adequate protection and support for underground facilities
• If our underground facilities are damaged or disturbed, notify RG&E at 1.800.743.1702 for natural gas or 1.800.743.1701 for electricity. NYSEG can be notified by calling 1.800.572.1121 for a natural gas emergency and 1.800.572.1131 for an electric emergency. We’ll come right away to ensure the site is safe and make repairs if required
• Use and properly install suitable backfill material around underground facilities
The keys to preventing damage to underground facilities are the two “one-call notification systems” that serve as communication links between contractors/ excavators and the operators of underground facilities (local utilities/municipalities). New York 811 is the one-call notification system serving New York City and Long Island, and Dig Safely New York is the other, serving the remainder of the State.
When calling from inside the areas served, either can be reached by simply dialing 811. In addition, both One-call Centers allow local requests to be submitted at any time through webbased ticket entry. Use of the One-call Centers is free.
The Commission, which oversees electric and telecommunication utilities, as well as nearly 100,000 miles of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines transporting much needed energy across the State to consumers, prides itself on its zealous safety oversight.
The Commission’s rigorous review of utilities’ natural gas and hazardous liquid infrastructure and operations exceeds federal requirements, and includes prescribing aggressive safety performance metrics, holding utilities financially accountable to meet standards, and conducting thousands of incident investigations. The Commission’s team of highly trained employees closely monitors utility activity daily to ensure compliance.
Along with participating in the nationwide Safe Digging Month program, the Commission’s staff works diligently to enforce its pipeline safety regulations, which are among the most stringent in the nation, to ensure that utility companies adhered to them regarding the safe operation of the utility’s natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline systems.
To continue to improve pipeline safety, the Commission routinely monitors the utilities’ damage prevention programs to make sure that they are up to date, to identify improvement areas, and to ensure that the plans are in compliance with the Commission’s pipeline safety requirements. Over the past 17 years, these efforts have led to the steady decrease in statewide damages to natural gas facilities per 1,000 notifications; reaching a low of 1.60 damages per 1,000 notifications in 2017, making New York State a national leader for this metric.
For more information about Dig Safely New York, go to www.digsafelynewyork.com or call 315-4377394. For more information about New York 811, visit the www.newyork-811. com, for general questions and information, call 631778-8111, to place a mark out request, call 1-800-2724480.