April is Safe Digging Month
3/27/2010 7:26:00 PM
Spring is here! Many people are already planning their gardens and outdoor projects. It’s no mystery then why April is National Safe Digging Month because you should know what’s below before you dig.
Columbia Gas of Ohio Damage Prevention Manager Scott Tustin says before you take on any outdoor projects make sure you understand and take all the necessary safety precautions. Before you build or repair a deck, fence or mail box post, or plant trees or do any excavation in your yard you need to call 8-1-1 two business days before the work begins.
Tustin says more than 256,000 underground utility lines are struck each year in the United States, and 35 percent could have been prevented by calling 8-1-1.
Dialing 8-1-1 will automatically direct callers to the Ohio Utilities Protection Service, which will alert utilities and underground facility owners like Columbia Gas. The facility owners will identify and mark their lines in your yard.
Calling 8-1-1 can prevent underground utility damages, harm to property or individuals, gas service disruption, and avoid potential fines and repair costs. Tustin also reminds home owners that state law requires them to call 811 before they dig.
Here are some simple tips to avoid damage to underground utility facilities:
- Determine your project area and clearly mark it.
- Call 811 before you dig.
- Provide the name and contact information of the person digging.
- Allow at least two full business days for the companies to identify and mark the location of their underground lines.
Tustin says you should also know how to recognize and respond to a natural gas leak. If you detect a possible gas leak by smell, sight (white cloud, mist or fog), or sound (hissing or whistling), follow these steps.
- If you smell gas inside, get out immediately.
- If you suspect a leak outside, turn off and abandon any motorized equipment you might be using.
- Leave the area quickly.
- Warn others to stay away from the area.
- From a safe distance, call your community’s emergency responders at 9-1-1 and Columbia Gas at 1-800-344-4077.
- Wait for the fire department or our service crew to check the situation and let you know when it’s safe to return.
Columbia Gas of Ohio, with headquarters in Columbus, is one of the nine energy distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI). Serving approximately 1.4 million customers in 61 of Ohio’s 88 counties, it is the largest natural gas utility in the state. NiSource distribution companies serve approximately 3.8 million gas and electric customers primarily in seven states.
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