Ohio: 800-362-2764
Indiana: 800-382-5544
Kentucky: 800-752-6007
N. Carolina: 800-632-4949
S. Carolina: 888-721-7877

UTILITY EMERGENCIES
Carolinas: 800-769-3766
Indiana: 800-343-3525
Kentucky/Ohio: 800-634-4300

Utility contacts can be costly – and deadly. Implementing the simple steps outlined below can help you and your crew work safely around electric and natural gas utilities.

Look Up and Live

• Examine the site for overhead lines, especially those that may be blocked from view.
• Mark a safety boundary to keep workers and equipment a safe distance from power lines. Consult Duke Energy or www.osha.gov for specific clearance requirements.
• Use a spotter whose only job is to watch your equipment and make sure you maintain the mandatory clearances.
• Carry long equipment parallel to the ground until you’re ready to use it. Always stay the required distance away from power lines.

Dig Safely

• Call 811 well in advance if your project involves digging, blasting, boring, trenching, drilling, grading or excavating.
• Make sure that you and your coworkers can read utility locator markings.
• Adhere to mandatory tolerance zones and do not use any power-digging equipment within this zone.
• Use proper hand-digging tools and techniques to safely verify the depth of buried utilities.

Future Emails
Do you know what to do in the event of a utility contact? Look for our next email “If You Make Contact” to find out.

Are you looking for information on a specific topic? Click here and let us know.