Friday, Aug. 11 — 811 Day — is a national day of awareness to mindful of underground utilities while digging around your home or property. it’s an important day for any homeowner who has or will be working to spruce up their yard or home, as well as the thousands of workers in the construction and utility industries who are involved in digging projects and marking lines to protect you, your home, your community and underground infrastructure.
In the state of Florida, an underground utility line is damaged 66 times each day. That’s 24,000 times per year that digging activity damages buried power, gas, internet and other utility lines across the state– costing billions of dollars and resulting in service interruptions, fines, potential injuries or even worse.
Fencing and landscaping combined cause the most damage to underground utility lines, while the majority of damage occurs directly from people not contacting 811 before their digging projects – which is required by law.
August 11 is 811 Day, and Sunshine 811 is the statewide not-for-profit organization that helps ensure underground public utilities are appropriately identified and marked prior to digging, and maintains a 24/7 online system for processing locate tickets and providing educational resources.
Sunshine 811 encourages homeowners and contractors to follow these six fundamental steps for safe digging:
Plan your project – Think about the scope and if you’ll need to hire a contractor. Gather specific information about your digging project such as the street address, type of project and timeline for the work.
Contact 811 – You’ll receive a ticket number and list of utilities that will be notified of your project. Remember that utility companies do not mark private lines.
Wait the required time – After you submit a ticket, member utility operators have two full business days to clear or mark the approximate location of underground utility lines on your property before you can begin digging.
Confirm utility responses – Follow the progress of each member utility by viewing the utility response codes they use to explain your dig site.
Confirm the marks – Ensure that all member utility companies have responded to your ticket. Compare the colors of the marks and flags on your property to the list of member utility companies on your ticket.
Dig with care – Now that the buried utility lines on your property have been marked or cleared, it’s time to start digging! According to Florida law, there is a tolerance zone that runs 24 inches from each facility’s outside edges. If you’re digging within the tolerance zone, use increased precautions to protect the underground utility lines. Also, keep an eye out for roots and stumps that could be entangled with utility lines. If you damage a utility line, contact the utility company immediately and do not attempt to fix it.
For more information about safe digging and the 811 process, visit www.Sunshine811.com.
