Page 11 - Arkansas 811 Magazine 2021 Issue 1

Most everyone in the industry has heard about, seen the poster or heard the lecture about the four (4) steps to safe digging.
1. Call 811 before digging. This is the first step. Always call Arkansas 811 every time, every project.
2. Wait the appropriate time.
In Arkansas, for routine excavation purposes, the law requires that the excavation site be located within two (2) working days after the notification from the One Call Center. and that the ticket is valid for 20 working days.
3. Respect the marks. Let’s
talk about what that really means. According to Best Practices, the excavator should protect and preserve the staking, marking or other designation of underground facilities until no longer required for proper and safe excavation.
Water-soluble or chalk-based paint is often used to mark the approximate location of the underground utility.
This marking paint used on the grass
or ground surface by the utility locator, runs the risk of being washed away in the event of a heavy rain, obliterated
by routine traffic or removed by the impact of construction itself. By respecting and protecting the marks throughout the duration of your project, you are helping to ensure your safety,
as well as that of your crews and the environment. Because marks can be easily destroyed which will make it impossible for you to determine the location of underground facilities, you should maintain the integrity of the locate marks for all excavations. Best Practices also teach us that if the marks are gone, the excavator stops excavating and notifies the one call center for re- marks. Also, if construction activities or weather destroys the marks, you must call 811 and renew the request. Damage prevention is a shared responsibility. These simple paint marks are important safety communications from the owner of the facility to you. Utility owners
and excavators alike have a shared responsibility to protect each other, the general public and to prevent damages
to our underground infrastructure.
Respecting the marks means protecting the marks.
4. Dig Safely.
• Maintain the required tolerance zone until the underground facility has been exposed (by hand digging or vacuum excavation) and can be clearly seen.
• If the work to be performed is not completed within the life of the ticket, or if the location markings have been removed or are no longer visible, the person engaging in the excavation activity must call notify the Call Center for new locate marks.
• Provide the required support for exposed underground facilities during the excavation, as necessary.
• Use the proper procedures to backfill with care and avoid damage to existing underground facilities.
Come on Arkansas, let’s make that call to 811, then dig safely. It’s not only the law but it’s the right thing to do!
Before you dig, dig this.
Pipeline safety starts from the ground up.
Always call 811 before you dig. It’s the law.
Get more pipeline safety information at xtoenergy.com.
Know what’s below. Call before you dig.
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2021, Issue 1 Arkansas 811 Magazine • 9