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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Planning excavation work? Here's what you need to know…
By law, excavators and contractors MUST contact O.U.P.S. at least 48 hours but no more than 10 working days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) before beginning any excavation project. You can reach us through i-dig, our free, Web-based ticket-entry system, or by calling 1-800-362-2764. Download our informative excavator manual.
Some Excavation work includes:
- Demolition
- Farming activity (12” or deeper)
- Grading
- Trenching
- Drilling
- Auguring
- Dredging
- Plowing or driving cable or pipeline
- Installing sign poles
- Driving survey pins
- Boring holes for percolation tests
Think your job's too small? It's always best to call!
Contacting O.U.P.S. before you dig is the only way to determine the approximate location of an underground facility.
By not calling, you risk:
- Costly property and environmental damage
- Explosion or fire
- Power or utilities services interruptions
- Job delays
- Legal problems
- Injury—or even death
Excavators and contractors should follow these steps for safe digging…
- Contact O.U.P.S. via i-dig or by calling 1-800-362-2764 at least 48 hours but no more than 10 day working days (excluding weekends and legal holidays), before beginning any excavation work.
- Have the following information handy when you call or enter your request online:
- County, city or township
- Digging location (e.g. street address if possible)
- Intersecting streets and/or roads
- Lot number, subdivision and builder's name
- Type and extent of work to be done
- Date and time you plan to start
- Outline the area you plan to excavate with white paint or flags.
- Wait until lines are marked before excavating. Once we notify the appropriate utility companies, they will have two working days to mark their lines with colored flags, stakes or paint.
- Once your property is marked, proceed with care, allowing at least an 18” 'tolerance' zone on either side of the marked utility line including the width of the facility. If you must excavate within the tolerance zone, use hand tools.
- Do not remove flags, stakes or paint marks until finished.
Utility Color Codes
When utility company representatives mark a location, they use colored flags and/or paint to identify the type of underground service:
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Red - Electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables |
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Yellow - Gas, oil, steam, petroleum or gaseous materials |
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Orange - Communication, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit |
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Blue - Potable water |
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Purple - Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines |
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Green - Sewers and drain lines |
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Pink - Temporary survey markings |
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White - Proposed excavating |
If you hit a line…
For your Safety you should walk away immediately and take steps to clear the area to protect yourself and your crew. Do not try to repair or stop a leak yourself or use anything that might create a spark, such as a cell phone.
If a substance starts releasing into the air, such as natural gas, immediately call 9-1-1. For any damaged facility, you should also contact the utility company listed on the nearest marker as well as O.U.P.S., even if there appears to be no damage, not all facility damages can be detected by the naked eye.
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Things to note
• O.U.P.S. Experiences Unusually High Call Volumes
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