Landscape Architect Articles

811: Call Before You Dig02-13-07 | News

811: Call Before You Dig

CGA launches national 811 ?EUR??,,????'??Call Before You Dig?EUR??,,????'?? Web site to help save lives and protect American underground infrastructure.

The Common Ground Alliance (CGA announced the launch of a new national 811 ?EUR??,,????'??Call Before You Dig?EUR??,,????'?? Web site ?EUR??,,????'??? www.call811.com?EUR??,,????'??+ designed to serve as a national resource for professional excavators as well as landscape contractors, landscape architects and pool builders. Their first national launch sponsor is the Association of General Contractors of America. CGA has made a fully downloadable set of materials available for free use, and created an online ?EUR??,,????'??tips and tools?EUR??,,????'?? forum to share best practices across the industry. The new Web site is being launched this week to educate industry audiences about the new 811 ?EUR??,,????'??Call Before You Dig?EUR??,,????'?? telephone number. The national number will be launched to the public in May of 2007.

?EUR??,,????'??Knowing where utility lines are buried before each digging project helps protect those who dig from injury, expense and penalties,?EUR??,,????'?? said CGA President Bob Kipp. ?EUR??,,????'??In some cases, pipes or lines installed 40 to 50 years ago are now at different depths because the surface has changed through building and reconstruction over the years.

811 is the new FCC-designated number created to eliminate confusion of multiple ?EUR??,,????'??Call Before You Dig?EUR??,,????'?? numbers across the country. The appropriate local utilities then send crews to the requested site to mark the approximate location of underground lines for free.

In 2004, according to industry data, CGA estimates there were approximately 680,000 underground line strikes resulting in damages, including service outages and injury. Forty percent, or 280 thousand of those accidents might have easily been avoided by calling ahead to have lines marked before digging. Says Bob Kipp, ?EUR??,,????'??At the end of the day, if you save a life, a life is saved. So, don?EUR??,,????'???t make a judgement call, make a telephone call.?EUR??,,????'??