Aug. 11 was National Safe Digging Day, serving as a reminder to put safety first by calling 811 before taking on any digging projects.
Roanoke Electric Co-op encourages homeowners and professional excavators to practice safe digging. “This includes common projects like planting trees and shrubs or fence installs,” said Glenn Brown, the co-op’s safety coordinator. “When calling 811, request that the approximate location of buried utilities be marked with paint or flags, so that you don’t accidentally dig into an underground utility line.”
After submitting the request, utilities typically respond within a few days.
“It’s important to make sure that all utilities have responded to your request before breaking ground,” Brown continued. “Once all utilities have marked their buried lines, dig carefully around any utility marks and consider relocating projects that are close to any buried utility lines.”
To submit a request, simply dial 811 or visit https://www.nc811.org/.