By Elizabeth Fischer & Larry Murray

Taking out a shovel and digging a hole appears to be a simple activity, but there are hidden dangers beneath the surface. Under every yard, city street and some places people would never suspect, lie a series of pipes and wires that, if damaged, can result in loss of natural gas, telephone, water, cable or electricity–leaving communities without services or worse, loss of life.

These dangers are well known among natural gas and electric utilities. To raise awareness among the public, excavators, contractors and public officials, DiggingSafely.com was created as a free online training tool. Pre-excavation methods, such as calling 811 Call Before You Dig and reviewing job specifics, help prevent damage caused by unsafe excavation activities.

"DiggingSafely.com is a no-cost way to meet public awareness and contractor education requirements," said Patrick Van Beek, president of MEA. MEA created DiggingSafely.com using courses from its online natural gas and electric operations training libraries, EnergyU.org and ElectricU.org. State One Calls, such as DiggingSafely.com that Missouri uses to teach excavation safety standards, reflect the latest Common Ground Alliance standards and help prevent accidental ignition of natural gas when a line is damaged.

MEA member companies provide safe and reliable gas and electric service to customers. These services can be interrupted by unexpected and unplanned outages associated with damage to underground energy delivery systems. These types of avoidable damages cost customers and utility companies millions of dollars in unnecessary expenses each year. The key to reducing and eliminating these damages is increased education and awareness of the public to make sure they call prior to beginning any excavation, including digging with a shovel.

Anyone who digs has the risk of coming into contact with buried utilities, whether it's gas, electric or buried communications. Although the danger isn't the same, the residual effects of damaging those facilities is a concern to everyone. Excavators need to be aware of all the utilities and the potential impact. Hitting a 911 line can cause catastrophic damage if someone is unable to call 911 during a medical emergency. The challenge has been getting home owners involved before they grab the shovel. DiggingSafely.com provides an interactive and accessible learning environment for utilities to make suggestions to home owners upon establishment of service.

Online learning is accessible to anyone with a computer and Internet access, either at home or in a public library. There is no out-of-pocket expense or travel involved. It's an effective education tool and widely accepted by universities, businesses and regulating entities. Utilities, contractors and regulators may set up their own DiggingSafely.com homepage with specific user requirements or use DiggingSafely.com as it is.

DiggingSafely.com is an industry-sponsored site that provides free access to anyone interested in learning more about avoiding damage to underground infrastructures. Each course was designed with input from utilities, contractors and labor unions–who provided the content and final course review prior to publication.

Current DiggingSafely.com courses include:

• Excavation safety–reflects the latest Common Ground Alliance standards
• Preventing accidental ignition if a gas line is damaged
• Electric safety
• Worksite protection–traffic control
• Working in enclosed, confined spaces
• Hazardous emergency response
• Characteristics and hazards of natural gas
• Horizontal directional drilling safety 

Features and benefits of DiggingSafely.com are:

• Excellent teaching tool at industry trade shows
• Records course use–help for pipeline and utility public awareness compliance
• Supports State One Call System efforts and excavation safety programs of pipelines and utilities 

Increase awareness of underground danger and the impact it can have on individuals and the community. www.DiggingSafely.com

About the Authors:
Elizabeth Fischer is communications director at MEA, and Larry Murray is manager at MEA. 

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