11 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — For years, you have probably seen the public service announcements warning people to call 811 before they dig. The commercials feature actor John Ratzenberger of “Cheers” fame telling his neighbor Joe to call 811 to get underground utilities marked. Joe never does, and his digging always puts him in a bad situation.
Friday, Aug. 11, is National 811 Day. The U.S. Department of Transportation says the goal is to spread awareness about calling 8-1-1, a nationwide toll-free number, a couple of days before any digging or excavation project.
When you call 811 and give the address of where you plan to dig, utilities are notified. Their crews come out and mark the property for any hidden gas lines, water pipes, or electrical, cable or internet wiring.
Arch York, Kansas 811 damage prevention manager, explained what can happen if a person or an excavator hits a gas line.
“You can have an explosion,” he said. “That gas can travel to different places of the neighborhood, things like that and cause all kinds of problems.”
York can’t imagine why anyone would dig without calling 811 first.
“It is the state law that requires you to call before you dig,” he said. “We want to make sure we keep the public safe and excavators working safe.”
“There’s a vast network of pipelines underneath the ground, and there is no way you can know whether you would come in contact with an underground line,” Dawn Tripp, Kansas 811 public relations manager, said. “You risk the damage to the pipeline. You risk service outages, injuries or even worse.”
She said you can call 811 or submit the location online at Kansas811.com. Either option gets utilities to come out and mark the property.
DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration says that research has revealed that if someone calls 8-1-1 before they dig, they have a 99% chance of avoiding an incident, injury, harm to the environment and even death.