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Protect people and profits by calling 811 before you dig.
By Jennifer Connally
Safety is a priority for tent installation companies, and hitting a gas pipeline or electric cable can cause serious injury or death. Driving in stakes for large commercial tents is considered excavation in all 50 states. Making one important and free phone call to 811 before digging can help prevent underground damages and save millions of dollars in repairs. .
Calling 811 notifies utilities in your area that you are digging. Upon notification, those utilities will send a locator to the work area to mark those underground lines so that you can avoid the lines while excavating. Depths of these pipeline and cable vary and can sometimes be only a few short inches under the earth’s surface. This one call to 811 can help protect you from damage of facilities or injury to yourself and others.
The 811 number developed by different stakeholder members of the Common Ground Alliance was introduced to the public on May 1, 2007. Members of the Common Ground Alliance continuously commit themselves and their efforts to protect underground facilities, as well as the excavators that work near those facilities. The development of 811 was a huge step in making it more convenient to get underground utilities located for homeowners and excavators, as well as educating the public about the importance of calling 811 before you dig.
Before driving that tent stake into the ground, dial those three easy numbers, 811. It’s fast, easy and free. As a team of contractors, excavators, communities and safety advisors, we are lucky to have access to such an easy and convenient number for people to call before they dig. Implementing the use of 811 will help ensure the safety of excavators for many years to come.