Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/314292
36 • JUNE 2014 • WORLD FENCE NEWS Fence contractors and other pro- fessional excavators are pretty well versed in the need to have under- ground utilities identified before they begin digging. But check this out: The Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the organiza- tion dedicated to protecting under- ground utility lines and the safety of people who dig near them, announced results from a recent survey that found 51 percent of American homeowners who plan to dig this year for projects that include landscaping, installing a fence or mailbox, and building a deck or patio, will put themselves and com- munities at risk by not calling 811 to learn the approximate location of un- derground utilities. Additionally, 67 percent of the surveyed homeowners who plan to dig reported knowing that paint and flags are used to mark buried utilities, indi- cating that awareness of underground infrastructure among "DIYers" is high, even if their awareness of the impor- tance of calling 811 before digging is relatively low. Digging without knowing the ap- proximate location of underground utilities increases the likelihood of an unintentional damage, which can cause serious injuries, service disrup- tions and repair costs, CGA noted, adding that an underground utility line is damaged every six minutes nation- wide because someone decided to dig without first calling 811. There are more than 100 billion feet of under- ground utilities in the United States, according to data compiled by CGA from various industry groups. That figure equates to more than one football field's length (105 yards) of buried utilities for every man, woman and child in the U.S. Everyone who calls 811 a few days before digging is connected to a local one call notification center that will take the caller's information and communicate it to local utility compa- nies. Professional locators will then visit the dig site to mark the approxi- mate location of underground utility lines with spray paint or flags. Once a site has been accurately marked, it is safe to begin digging around the marked areas. "According to the survey results, homeowners who plan to dig this year know the paint marks and flags on the ground are used to identify under- ground utilities, but among these DIY- ers, more than half will not call 811, increasing the chances for injuries and utility service outages in their neigh- borhoods," said CGA president Bob Kipp. "With spring upon us, tens of mil- lions of homeowners will reach for their shovels and begin digging for landscape and other home improve- ment projects. It is critical for them to pick up the phone and make a free call to 811 a few days before those projects begin," he said. This national public opinion sur- vey of 592 homeowners, conducted Feb. 26–March 2, 2014, also found that homeowners will call 811 for cer- tain projects, but not for all DIY land- scape projects. The survey revealed that home- owners will not call 811 for the fol- lowing DIY projects: • 84 percent – planting shrubs • 63 percent – planting a tree • 61 percent – installing a pole for a basketball goal • 50 percent – building a deck • 46 percent – installing a fence • 45 percent – digging a patio Survey finds over half of do-it-yourselfers who plan to dig do not call 811 before starting