SAN FRANCISCO— Today is National Safe Digging Day, serving as a reminder to PG&E customers, contractors and anyone digging to call 811 a minimum of two business days prior to starting any digging project, no matter how large or small. 811 is a free service for anyone planning to dig. Utility workers will respond at no cost to you and mark the location of any underground lines. Making that free call will help avoid injuries, property damage and costly repairs.
Warmer weather months see an increase in digging projects, and unfortunately many of those projects are proceeding without a free call to 811 to have underground utilities marked for project sites. In fact, throughout PG&E’s service area of Northern and Central California:
- 57 percent of all third-party dig-ins 2021 have been due to contractors and homeowners failing to call 811 before digging
- In 91 percent of residential/homeowner dig-ins, 811 was not called
- The average cost to repair damaged utility lines for a residential dig-in is $3,500
Some leading causes of homeowner/residential dig-ins include: building or replacing a fence, gardening and landscaping, planting a tree or removing a stump, sewer and irrigation work and building a deck or patio
As part of 811 Day, PG&E will be conducting 811 Safe Digging Webinars today at 3:30 P.M. and on Saturday, August 14 at 9 A.M. Customers can join to learn about the 811 process and how to safely dig once all underground lines have been marked. There will also be a live Q&A session as part of each webinar. To access the webinars, visit pge.com/811.
Utility lines can be shallow, sometimes only a few inches below the surface, due to erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surfaces. Utility lines need to be properly marked because even when digging only a few inches or digging in a location that’s previously been marked, the risk of striking an underground utility line still exists. A call to 811 is the best safeguard and the first line of defense to preventing strikes on underground utility lines.
Some key facts:
- In 2020, there were over 1,400 third-party dig-ins on PG&E’s underground infrastructure across Northern and Central California.
- Of the over 1,400 dig-ins, nearly 800 resulted from not using 811 to have gas and electric lines marked in advance.
- Of the third-party (customers or construction crews) dig-ins to PG&E’s lines in 2020, residential dig-ins accounted for 31%.
- In 91% of residential dig-ins, 811 was not called in advance.
