Long Island, NY - June 10, 2015 - June is National Safety Month, and PSEG Long Island is reminding contractors, excavators and customers to call 811 to request a mark-out before digging to avoid hitting underground pipelines, conduits, wires and cables. This service is free, and absolutely critical to avoid injuries and disruptions to vital utility services.
When you call 811, you are automatically connected to the New York one-call center, which collects information about your digging project. The one-call center then provides the information to the utility companies, who will send representatives to mark the locations of underground lines in the immediate vicinity of the planned work location with flags, paint or both. Once lines have been properly marked and your request becomes valid, you are free to carefully dig around the marked areas.
Every digging project, even a small project like planting a tree or building a deck, requires a call to 811. The call must be made whether you are hiring a professional or planning to do the job yourself.
Here is important information to consider:
- Underground electric, gas, communications and water lines are everywhere, even on private property. You can easily damage them if you don’t know where they are, with the potential to seriously injure yourself or others. Digging into these lines also can disrupt the vital utility services and result in costly delays, expensive repair costs and fines, and environmental or property damage.
- Call 811 at least four business days before each job to have underground pipes, wires and equipment located. Utility workers will respond and place markers where utility lines are buried, free of charge.
- If you hired a contractor, confirm that a call to 811 has been made. Do not allow work to begin if the lines aren’t marked.
- Various colors are used when marking lines, learn what each color represents here.
- Property owners must maintain and respect the marks. Always hand dig within two feet of marked lines.
- If you accidentally damage gas piping or smell gas when excavating, please call 911 immediately from a safe area. Call before you dig is more than a good idea — it’s the law.
Additional information, including a damage prevention booklet on safe excavating practices and the protection of underground facilities, can be found online.
PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority’s transmission and distribution system under a 12-year contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company with annual revenues of approximately $11 billion.