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API: “every digging project warrants a call to 811”

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World Pipelines,


On 11 August, the American Petroleum Institute (API) marked National Safe Digging Day with a friendly reminder to all Americans to always call 811 before any digging project to protect vital infrastructure.

“Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811,” said API Pipeline Manager, David Murk. “We need the public’s help to prevent accidents resulting from excavation damage to pipelines.

“This simple practice of calling 811 will help keep you and your neighbours safe. Striking a single utility service line can cause personal injury, property damage and outages that inconvenience communities. In addition, persons responsible for striking utility lines can also face the costs of repairs and fines.”

There are 20 million miles of buried utility lines, more than 190 000 miles of liquid pipelines and over 300 000 miles of natural gas pipelines that crisscross the US.

API encourages homeowners and professional excavators to take the following steps before any digging project:

  • Always call 811 at least 48 hrs before digging (some states require a different waiting period), regardless of the depth or familiarity with the property.
  • Plan ahead. Call on Monday or Tuesday for work planned for an upcoming weekend, providing ample time for the approximate location of lines to be marked.
  • Consider moving the location of your project if it is near utility line markings.
  • If a contractor has been hired, confirm that a call to 811 has been made. Don’t allow work to begin if the lines aren’t marked.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/regulations-and-standards/14082017/api-every-digging-project-warrants-a-call-to-811/

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US pipeline news API pipeline news