In observance of National Safe Digging Month in April, Columbia Gas shared results from a recent national survey of 1,000 U.S. homeowners revealing that over half (51 percent) plan to complete an outdoor do-it-yourself digging project in the next year, 56 percent do not plan to notify 811 ahead of time, putting themselves and their communities at risk.
Thousands of buried utilities are damaged each year due to digging activities. Safe Digging Month reminds homeowners and contractors that digging without knowing the approximate location of underground utilities can result in serious injuries, inconvenient service disruptions and costly repairs when natural gas, electric, communications, water and sewer lines are damaged.
Making a free locate request online at ohio811.org or by calling 811 at least two full business days before digging will help maintain essential utility service while keeping their communities safe by reducing the likelihood of accidentally digging into buried lines.
It takes just a few minutes to submit a locate request by phone or online, said Columbia Gas of Ohio President & COO Robert Heidorn. “Those few minutes can make a big difference when it comes to safety. There’s just no reason to take a chance on hitting a utility line that could result in injuries, service disruptions, repair costs and fines.”
After contacting 811, professional locators will mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, spray paint, or both. Each color of paint and/or flag represents a unique type of underground utility. The flags may be removed once the project is fully complete. To learn more information or to see the complete color code guide visit ColumbiaGasOhio.com/811.
Whether you’re installing a mailbox, planting trees, or performing any other outdoor digging project, Columbia Gas encourages you to take the following steps:
- Always contact 811 at least two full business days before digging, regardless of the depth or familiarity with the property.
- Plan ahead. Call on Monday or Tuesday for work planned for the weekend, providing ample time for lines to be marked.
- Confirm that all lines have been marked after two full business days have passed.
- Once lines are marked, only hand dig within 18” on either side of the width of the utility line.
- Consider moving the location of your project if it is near utility line markings.
- If a contractor has been hired, confirm that the contractor has contacted 811. Don't allow work to begin if the lines aren't marked.
- Visit ohio811.org for additional information and to view Ohio’s Dig Law.
###
About Columbia Gas of Ohio
Columbia Gas of Ohio delivers clean, dependable and efficient natural gas to approximately 1.5 million customers across the state. With headquarters in Columbus, it is the largest natural gas utility in Ohio. Columbia Gas of Ohio is one of six regulated utility companies of NiSource (NYSE: NI), one of the largest fully-regulated utility companies in the United States. NiSource employees are focused on our mission to deliver safe, reliable energy that drives value to our customers, and guided by our vision to be an innovative and trusted energy partner. More information about Columbia Gas of Ohio and NiSource, including its goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions from its operations by 2040, is available at www.ColumbiaGasOhio.com and www.NiSource.com.
About CGA
CGA is a member-driven association of nearly 4,200 damage prevention professionals spanning every facet of the underground utility industry. Established in 2000, CGA is committed to saving lives and preventing damage to North American underground infrastructure by promoting effective damage prevention practices. CGA has established itself as the preeminent source of damage prevention data and information 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 the study
Online survey among 1,000 US Homeowners, aged 21+ fielded between March 5-7, 2024. The survey was conducted by Censuswide, a global insight-driven research center on behalf of CGA. The margin of error based on a 95% confidence level is +/- 3%.
