PGW Reminds Residents and Contractors: Call 811 Before Digging
Posted on: Aug 11, 2022No matter the size of the digging project, avoid injury and property damage by
calling Pennsylvania’s “One Call” system
PHILADELPHIA (August 11, 2022) – On August 11, National 811 Day, Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) reminds City residents and contractors to call 811 before any sized digging project, whether simply planting flowers or building a deck. Dialing 811 connects homeowners and contractors to the Pennsylvania “One Call” system, which alerts utilities to identify the location of their service or distribution lines within the scope of the proposed worksite.
The respective utilities will visit the site to either indicate that the site is clear of utility lines, or mark and/or flag the location of its infrastructure. Last year, PGW safely addressed 80,429 One Call tickets to mark underground utility lines across Philadelphia.
Calling 811 between three and 10 business days before excavating is legally required in Pennsylvania, prevents potential injury to residents and contractors, and reduces the risk of damaging natural gas infrastructure or other underground utility lines.
Utilities mark their lines with specific color codes: red markings represent electric power lines, conduit and power cables; orange markings represent communication lines; blue represents water; and green markings indicate sewers and drain lines. PGW marks natural gas utility lines with yellow paint or flags.
Jobsites without visible paint or flag markings should be reported to 811. Anyone who suspects that a contractor may be digging without a valid Pennsylvania One Call ticket should call 811 to alert all facility owners of a possible safety concern. In 2019, the most recent data on record, costs of damages to buried utility lines in the U.S. were estimated at $30 billion.
Calls to Pennsylvania 811 are free for homeowners and answered 24 hours a day. Notifications to the system can also be made online at pa1call.org. For more information, visit, pgworks.com/safety-reliability/call-811-before-you-dig, and follow PGW on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
In addition to encouraging everyone to “Call Before You Dig,” PGW also advises anyone who smells gas to leave the area immediately and call PGW’s 24-hour Emergency Hotline at (215) 235-1212.
To learn more about PGW’s commitment to safety, please visit pgworks.com/safety.
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