April is National Safe Digging Month and the start of many outdoor projects. Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter and NIPSCO urge Plymouth residents and businesses to help protect the public from serious risk or injury by calling 811 two business days before starting any digging project to have underground utility lines marked.
In addition to the risk of a serious injury, not calling 811 before beginning a digging project could also result in fines up to $10,000 or more and the cost to repair damages. It’s the law.
The highest safety risk to underground natural gas utilities in Indiana, continue to be damage caused by those who dig into a line without calling first for the underground lines to be marked.
Last year there were approximately 400 NIPSCO cases of damage caused when no markings were requested. Nearly 60 percent of those were the result of contractors, while the remaining damages were caused by residents. The most common digging projects where damage occurred involved fences, landscaping and water and sewer projects. Planting shrubs and trees and installing decks and pools are also common digging projects.
Mayor Senter encourages citizens and businesses to undertake projects to improve their property but to play it safe and call 811 two days before any type of digging project.
“One simple toll-free call to 811 before digging can mean the difference between saving a life and causing serious injury or worse,” said Senter
