Want to see what others are saying about 811 and the "Call Before You Dig" campaign? You'll be able to follow along with CGA and its entire network of members and national launch partners as they educate the digging world on the relevance of 811 by clicking below.

Figure This: 811

February 27, 2007
By REMODELING MAGAZINE writer Hayden Alfano

The national "call before you dig" number that should be fully integrated by April.

The number was approved in March 2005 by the Federal Communications Commission, in an effort to eliminate confusion over which numbers to call to alert utilities of intent to dig. It is designed not as a replacement for the "one-call" centers already established, but as a hub to forward callers to the correct centers.

If your phone company has not yet changed its network so that an 811 call forwards you to the right place, you can always dial the one-call center directly. If you are unsure of that number, you can still call the existing "call before you dig" referral line at 888.258.0808.

 

"Call Before You Dig"

March 5, 2007
By California Builder and Engineer staff

(Editor's Note: In Riverside recently, an excavating crew struck a main gas line, forcing the evacuation of a several-block area and causing a several hour lock-down of a high school. The following press release is timely ...)

The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) has launched a new national 811 "Call Before You Dig" website — www.call811.com — designed to serve as a national resource for professional excavators. The new website is being launched to educate industry audiences about the new 811 "Call Before You Dig" telephone number. The national number has also been launched to the public.

"Knowing where utility lines are buried before each digging project helps protect those who dig from injury, expense and penalties," said CGA President Bob Kipp. "Our new website will provide the professional digging community with the tools they need to begin educating their employees and customers about the new national 811 number to launch later this year. One easy phone call to 811 will get the approximate location of underground utility lines marked for free," he continued. "Safe digging is no accident.  Always call 811 before you dig."

Knowing where underground lines are buried before each digging project helps prevent injury, expense and penalties. In 2004, according to industry data, CGA estimates there were approximately 680,000 underground line strikes resulting in damages, including service outages and injury. Many of these accidents might have easily been avoided by calling ahead to have lines marked before digging. A recent national survey conducted for CGA shows that confusion exists among the public as to the necessity of calling before every dig job.

 

A New Tool for Safer Excavations

February 26, 2007
By Becky Schultz, Equipment Today Editor

All it takes is one. A single utility hit can potentially cost your business thousands of dollars in damages to property and underground infrastructure, plus liability for loss of services. It can cost even more in the form of fines, increased insurance rates and equipment replacement costs. Worst of all, is the potential cost to your employees. In the most severe cases, they may face the loss of their livelihood - and perhaps even their lives.

Yet despite the risks, a large percentage of excavations continue to go unmarked prior to digging. According to the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), a member-driven association dedicated to promoting effective damage prevention practices, in the past year, no locate was requested in approximately 40% of the incidents in which damage to underground pipelines and other facilities occurred.

Consequently, on March 10, 2005, the Federal Communications Commission approved the use of 811 as a national call-before-you-dig telephone number that will interface with existing One-Call Centers. Already in place in certain areas, the 811 number is scheduled to be in operation nationwide by April of this year.

 

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

February 13, 2007
By Landscape Online editorial staff

The Common Ground Alliance (CGA announced the launch of a new national 811 "Call Before You Dig" Web site-www.call811.com-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 "tips and tools" 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 "Call Before You Dig" telephone number. The national number will be launched to the public in May of 2007.

 

Nationwide Call Before You Dig Phone Number Launched by the Common Ground Alliance

By Wayne Gilchrist

This year CGA is launching 811, the new, national "Call Before You Dig" number to professional excavators and DIY homeowners in an effort to save lives and protect underground utility lines.

811 has been issued by the Federal Communications Commission to eliminate the confusion of multiple "Call Before You Dig" numbers across the country. Now,one phone call to 811 will quickly and easily begin the process of getting underground utility lines marked. The 811 call process is efficient, and callers will be routed to their local utilities who will mark all underground utility lines for free.

 

An 811 "Call Before You Dig" Ring Can Save a 911 Call

By Engineering News Record Editorial Staff

Explosions, flooding, fires, electrocutions and mass communications and power outages—civilization brought to a standstill. In various forms and degrees of severity, this happens 700,000 time a year in the U.S. when people digging don't realize there are utilities buried in the area.

For years, utility companies, government agencies and contractor organizations have been trying to educate the public and their own employees and members about the importance of establishing and using one-call numbers for determining where utilities are buried. The system is popular, maybe a bit too much so. There now are so many local and state phone numbers for locating utilities that there sometimes is more confusion than solution. For example, thirteen states have their own numbers. But that is about to end.

With federal help, a national 811 "Call Before You Dig" number will be launched in May. The new FCC-designated phone number will connect callers with local one-call centers, which will notify area utilities. The local utility will then mark the infrastructure locations for free. The Common Ground Alliance on Jan. 24 established a Website to get the project rolling. The idea is great, and 811 soon will be as common to the public as 911 for health and safety emergencies.

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