One Simple Call to 811 Saves Time, Lives, Money, According to Sunshine State One Call of Florida

DEBARY, Florida, April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- If you're planning to dig, call 811 first to have underground utility lines located and marked so you can avoid hefty fines, high repair costs, utility service outages and injuries.

Throughout April 2008, Sunshine State One Call of Florida (SSOCOF) is running a statewide safety campaign alerting homeowners and professional excavators of the requirement to call 811 before digging. SSOCOF plans increased statewide radio and television coverage stressing "Call 811 Before You Dig" and three other legal requirements:

1. Wait two full business days for underground utilities to be located and
marked -- usually with paint and flags. A mark shows the approximate
location of a utility and the mark's color tells you the utility type.
Red is for electric, orange for communications, yellow for gas, blue
for water, green for sewer and purple for reclaimed water.
2. Protect the marks during your project. If the marks are no longer
visible, stop digging and call 811 again.
3. Dig carefully within 24 inches of the marks.

Homeowners sometimes make risky assumptions and choose not to call 811 before digging. "The fact is," emphasizes Cheryl Ritter, SSOCOF Damage Prevention Manager, "every digging job -- even planting a tree, replacing a mailbox or installing a fence -- requires a call to 811."

If you're new to the system, here are a few tips to make the process go smoothly. First, be prepared before calling 811. Know where you'll be digging and be able to provide driving directions to the site. Also note anything that might prevent access to the property such as a locked gate or dangerous dog in the yard. If you're planning on digging in only a small portion of your property, outline the area with white paint.

At the end of your call to 811, you receive a locate ticket number, valid for 30 calendar days. Projects lasting longer require another call to 811 two full business days before the ticket expires.

SSOCOF is a private, not-for-profit, corporation created by the Florida Legislature in 1993. Its purpose is to educate excavators and homeowners on the requirement to "Call 811 Before You Dig" and provide a free system for the excavating public to notify utility owners of excavation activities. The statute mandating this practice is the Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act, Chapter 556, Florida Statutes.

Visit http://www.callsunshine.com/ for more information.

Contact:
Cheryl Ritter
954-389-7328

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Sunshine State One Call of Florida

CONTACT: Cheryl Ritter, Sunshine State One Call of Florida,
+1-954-389-7328/

Web site: http://www.callsunshine.com/

2008-04-01 17:14:58 0325553 PRNEWSWIRE