April is National Safe Digging Month and UDig NY urges Upstate New York homeowners to take an important step to protect themselves and their communities. Digging without knowing the approximate location of underground utility lines is a mistake that can result in injury, repair costs, fines, and outages. Despite this, a national survey conducted by the Common Ground Alliance this spring found that more than half of homeowners who are planning digging projects this year do not intend to call 811 beforehand.
UDig NY urges anyone planning a digging project in Upstate New York to protect themselves and their community by visiting UDigNY.org or by calling 811 to place a location request. Location requests are free and should be placed at least two business days, but not more than 10 days, before beginning an excavation project.
After a location request is placed, UDig NY processes and provides the information to the member facility operators who are responsible for marking out the approximate location of any underground public utilities in the dig area, helping excavators to dig safely.
In addition to placing a location request, anyone planning a digging project should familiarize themselves with important safe-digging concepts like the APWA Uniform Color Code – the colors that are used to mark out the type and approximate location of underground utility lines. To learn more about placing a location request, understanding a mark out, and other important safety topics, visit UDigNY.org.
UDig NY provides many additional resources to learn about safe digging best practices. These include the Certified Excavator in Safe Digging Best Practices (CEP) program, which is available online and at a variety of in-person events throughout the year. Resources for trade school and high school students can be found at UDigNY.org/students. Resources to teach children about safe digging, including games and activities, are available from UDig NY at kids.UDigNY.org.
About UDig NY
UDig NY is the place where all safe digging in Upstate New York starts. As the link between you and the member facility operators, UDig NY utilizes a contact center and industry-leading software – Exactix – to receive and transmit notifications of intent to dig in the form of underground utility location requests. UDig NY provides you with the tools to place and manage your location requests 24/7/365. UDig NY serves Upstate New York: the geographic region of New York State north of the New York City metropolitan area. New York City and Long Island are covered by New York 811.
