Tuesday is National Dig Safe Day

If building a deck or installing sprinklers still are on top of the to-do list this summer, Elizabethtown Gas is reminding homeowners and professional contractors to call 8-1-1 at least three working days before starting any project that requires digging or excavation.

In honor of National 811 Day to promote safe digging awareness, PSEG Long Island is reminding customers, contractors and excavators to take care when digging to avoid hitting underground pipelines, conduits, wires and cables.

Small weekend projects like planting a tree or hedges, putting in a mailbox or pouring concrete can have disastrous consequences if utilities have not been marked, according to Columbia Gas. This service is free of charge.

Experts said every eight minutes around the nation an underground utility line is damaged because someone decides to dig without first calling 811.

A quick phone call to 811 several days before digging connects callers to an operator at a local One Call Center who will provide information on when participating utilities must clearly mark their underground equipment.

Striking a single buried utility line can cause injury, fix costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Begging you to be careful when you do any digging on your property!

Visit www.call811.com or www.southjerseygas.com for more information about 811 and safe digging practices.

Once lines have been marked, the project can start-remember to dig carefully.

That message is “Call before you dig!”

If a natural gas line is accidentally damaged or the distinct odor of gas is present, call 1-800-492-4009 from a safe location.

Also, any NIPSCO customers that call 811 will be entered in a contest to win an $811 gift card to a home improvement store.