Call Miss Dig before you dig

Utility providers around the country want customers to avoid trouble when working on any building project that requires digging.

Electric companies launch a safety campaign right around August 11th each year. Since many people shorten the date to 8/11, the campaign is a reminder about the 811 Miss Dig Hotline. One call could save a life or prevent serious damage to underground power lines.

“Call in (to) the Miss Dig program anytime that you have any excavations going on in your yard (or) property,” UPPCO operations supervisor Matt Teeters said. “Most people think it’s just for utility companies, but homeowners and contractors need to be using the 811 system.”

811 is a free call from anywhere in the country. The Miss Dig system works well with the common reminder from power companies to ‘look up and live’ with regard to above-ground lines.

“For the most part, people are really good about calling the 811 system,” Teeters said. “We do, a few times a month, have people make contact with their underground facilities, but homeowners and contractors alike.”

Besides calling 811, you can also go online to missdig.net to have underground electric facilities marked. Whichever method you use, it’ll take several business days for a specialist to come to you, mark any problem areas and clear the location for digging.