(Spirit Lake)-The month of April is National Safe Dig Month.
Brad Henningsen, Damage Prevention Coordinator with Black Hills Energy says, not only is it important to call 811 before you dig, it’s the law.
“You can call 8-1-1, submit an online request at iowaonecall.com. It’s free, it’s fast and it’s the law. After you call, a Utility Specialist will come out, mark the approximate location of your buried utility lines, and they’ll use color coded paint or flags. Yellow is for gas, red is for electric, orange is for communications. So, you’ll want to mark your planned excavation site with a white line or a white flag so that the locators know where you’re gonna be. Always carefully hand dig with a shovel near any of those marked utilities rather than using heavy equipment, and use extreme care around all of those marked utility lines because just a nick can create a weak spot that could develop into a gas leak, cause an electrical or internet outage or result in fines, serious injuries or worse, and that’s definitely what we want to avoid at all costs.”
While April has been specifically designated as Safe Dig Month, Henningsen says every month of the year should be treated as such.
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