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| Landscaping and Fencing Safety |
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| Everyone’s resources have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You can help prevent locate delays by pre-marking your proposed dig area in white and notifying 811 of your planned excavation with as much lead time as is possible in your state. To learn more about Duke Energy's response to COVID-19, click here. |
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| You’ve notified 811, and all buried utility lines on your job site have been
located and marked. Now your landscaping and fencing dig work can begin,
right? Not so fast! |
Order our complimentary worker safety training kit on the Duke Energy
e-SMARTworkers website. |
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| Locate marks are not precisely accurate and never indicate
depth. For your safety, you'll first need to verify the line's exact location and depth by hand digging or other non-intrusive methods, such as vacuum technology. Be sure to follow the law in your state regarding digging near buried utility lines. |
| Hand-Digging Tips |
| Whenever you hand dig near buried utility lines, take care to prevent damage and protect yourself from injury: |
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Use a rounded or blunt-edged shovel. Sharp tools like pickaxes, mattocks, pry
bars and pointed spades may gouge or puncture lines. |
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Begin digging off to the side of the marked utility line. Use a gentle, prying
motion to break away soil as you approach the utility laterally. |
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Never stab at the soil or stomp on the shovel with both feet. |
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Proceed cautiously. Don’t assume the marks are accurate or that the utility
depth is predictable. |
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Dig until you find the actual line, not just a tracer wire or warning tape. |
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| Be Aware of Above-Ground Hazards Too |
| Look for power lines, service drops, guy wires and pad-mounted equipment on or near
the job site. Assume all power lines are energized, and keep people, tools, materials and vehicles at least 10 feet away from them. |
| Report ALL Damage |
| Even a slight gouge, scrape or dent to a utility line, its coating or its tracer wire may
cause a break or leak or make the line unlocatable in the future. This can result in fire,
explosion and loss of life and property. Protect all exposed utility lines and check them
regularly for damage. Before you backfill, check them again. Report any damage to
Duke Energy so our crews can inspect the line and make the necessary repairs.
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| Would You Like to Know More? |
| Additional utility safety tips, case studies, instructional videos and training tools can all be found, at no charge to you, on Duke Energy's e-SMARTworkers website. |
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