BGE Dig Smart

The deadly inferno blazes out of control. The cause: An excavator ruptured an underground gas line while digging with a backhoe. Lives were endangered, property was damaged, and the backhoe operator was rushed to the hospital.

A landscaper hit what he thought was a tree root with a shovel. He had not called 811 before digging. When the shovel severed what was actually a 7600 volt electric line he sustained life-threatening burns and cut power to a neighborhood.

The incidents are real and so is the threat to your safety when you don't follow safe digging practices. Thousands of miles of underground utility lines provide essential services from gas and electric to phone cable and other connections. With so much at stake it's no wonder that the state of Maryland has a strict “Miss Utility” law which requires all excavations to be performed in a careful and prudent manner. It's your responsibility to be familiar with this law and other relevant federal state and local regulations, and to keep up with changes in these laws.

 At BGE, we’ll work with you to make sure excavations are safe and successful. Working together, let's learn how to put safety first and dig smart. We'll cover how to get underground facilities marked before you dig, what to do after making your request, how to approach the job site and read the markings, and how to excavate carefully. Let's get started. 

Digging smart means calling Miss Utility at 811 at least two full business days and not more than 10 days before the planned excavation. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays do not count as business days. You can also use Miss Utility’s free web application to input your locate requests. www.missutility.net/itic You will be asked for information including contact info, date and location of the proposed excavation or demolition and a detailed description of the type of work that will be performed at the site. 

When you submit your request, you will be given a ticket number. Under Maryland law you must wait for the underground facilities to be marked. You cannot begin excavation until all facility owners respond to your ticket requests. As the time draws near for you to begin your work, you must check with Miss Utility on the status of your ticket either by calling the Miss Utility ticket check at 1-866-821-4226 or visiting the Miss Utility website online. www.missutility.net/searchstatus You must check the status before excavation begins. 

Once you verify through Miss Utility that all the utility lines on your job site have been marked, or that there are no underground facilities in the vicinity, then and only then are you permitted to get to work. If you do not begin the excavation within 10 business days, or if the work is to be expanded beyond its original location or scope, or if the marks are destroyed, you must repeat the process.

The notification process is just the first step. You also need to be able to identify and understand the markings. Do not begin excavating until you look for color-coded markings that indicate where buried facilities are located. The color of the markings indicates the type of facility. Red means electric, yellow is natural gas, blue is water, green is sewer, orange is fiber optics and communication cables, purple is reclaimed water, pink is temporary survey marks and white is a proposed excavation area. By identifying the proposed work area with white markings, you provide utility locators with more detail about where you intend to excavate. Excavators are responsible for the maintenance of markings. If marks are destroyed or moved you will need to contact Miss Utility to have the area marked again. 

Next, identify the style of the markings. Different styles indicate different conditions or facilities. Typically the markings are single long lines, but you may see dots in a residential neighborhood with driveways or landscaped areas. For example, when you see yellow conduit style markings it means that the gas facility is greater than four inches. The wider the yellow markings, the bigger the buried facility. When you see a corridor line marking, it indicates more than a single line. For example, a corridor line marking can mean two or more primary cables, street light and secondary cables, secondary industrial and commercial cables, and single-phase primary and secondary cables. 

And these are offset markings. They're used in areas where marks may be destroyed or where surface conditions make it impossible for marks to be placed directly over the utility line. 
Offset marks include an arrow pointing in the direction of the utility line. On the right side of the arrow is the distance in feet and inches to the location of the utility line. To the left side of the arrow, size, material type and any other information. 

Another marking pattern you may see is a boxed-in area like this, which indicates that this is a highly congested area of underground cables or pipes. The box pattern means that you must excavate by hand. Mechanized equipment cannot be used anywhere near it. Typically you will see this kind of hand dig zone around our pad-mounted equipment and poles. 

After identifying the markings, you also must be on the lookout for clear evidence of underground facilities that may have been overlooked and not marked. For example, a gas regulator, a gas valve, a gas meter, an electric streetlight, an electric meter, and permanent markers normally installed over or near transmission lines. If you see clear evidence that these or other facilities have not been marked, stop. 

Once you've identified that all the facilities have been marked and nothing's been missed, you're now ready to determine the exact location of the facilities by digging a test pit. The law is clear so remember before using mechanized equipment for excavation or demolition within 18 inches of an underground facility marking, you must expose the underground facility to its outermost surfaces by hand digging or other non-destructive techniques.
Once you have exposed the underground facility you may not use mechanized equipment to excavate within 18 inches of the outermost surface of an exposed underground facility. There are two accepted methods for safe excavation within 18 inches of marked underground facilities. You must dig either by hand using a shovel, or using vacuum or hydro excavation (probably the safest most effective method). Whichever method you use, do not dig right down on top of the area. You might cut the facility in half or pierce it. Instead, start from the outside of the 18 inch radius and slowly work your way toward the center. Take your time, dig carefully, do not use excessive force. 

As you work be aware there is no guarantee how deep the facilities may be located. Not only do the various utilities follow different standards but changes may have taken place at the property since the facilities were originally installed. Also be on the lookout for signs that you may be getting close to a facility. You may find gas warning tape or tracer wire (but don't count on always seeing them). For example, gas warning tape is not used when underground facilities are installed through trenchless excavation, also known as directional drilling. If the tracer wire is damaged stop and call BGE at 1-800-685-0123. 

Once you have carefully exposed the facility, make sure that you physically inspect it and verify its location. If the facility exposed is a natural gas pipe, you must make sure that it's properly supported, Here are the regulations for how support must be provided depending on the length of the pipe exposed. Again, become familiar with these regulations. If the length of gas pipe will be exposed for more than one day, you must call BGE’s Damage Prevention Unit so that we can make sure that the pipe is safely supported. 

In the event that your excavation of the site will continue in a parallel fashion, you must continue to physically verify the location of the facility at reasonable distances. Dig test pits on the markings every 50 to 100 feet, making sure that the path of the facility remains true. Follow the same approach when trenching across an underground facility or performing perpendicular trenchless excavation. Dig test pits at each and every crossing of an underground facility and verify the exact location of each facility. It's a good practice to dig test pits whenever you're excavating within two feet of a marked facility, even if you don't intend to cross it, just to make sure markings are correct. 

When performing directional drilling, make sure that the drill head locating device is functioning properly and within its specifications. Dig a test pit every 50 to 100 feet; this will help you visually verify that the drill head is on the right path. When crossing an exposed BGE facility with the directional drill head, have your receiving pit dug so the directional drill head enters the test pit two feet before crossing the exposed facility to verify the depth of the directional drill head. But if the depth indicated by the locating is lower than the bottom of the test hole, you should stop drilling and hand excavate the hole until you can see the drill head. 

Occasionally it may be necessary to perform an emergency excavation or demolition to prevent danger to life, health or property. While you will not have an opportunity to call Miss Utility days in advance, you still must dig carefully. Take all reasonable precautions to protect underground facilities and you must still immediately notify Miss Utility of the location of the emergency. Failing to do so can make an emergency situation worse. 

Remember that in all circumstances, the law requires you to perform excavations and demolitions in a careful and prudent manner. Approach each job accordingly. By following careful excavating procedures, you'll stand a good chance of preventing loss of life, injury and damage to property. 

But if you do accidentally damage a facility while excavating, follow these steps. Evacuate all personnel to a safe distance immediately. Eliminate all sources of ignition. Call 911 if a gas line is ruptured or anyone is injured, and report the emergency. Call BGE at 1-800-685-0123. And finally, whatever the damage, do not attempt to repair it. If it's a gas line, do not attempt to operate valves or stop the flow of gas. If you encounter any surprising or unexpected developments, stop and call us. For example, what happens if you excavate and don't find the facility that's supposed to be there? Whatever your question or concern, BGE has damage prevention personnel dedicated to responding to your excavation needs. Remember we want to work with you. Our help is just a phone call away. 

Dig smart. Call Miss Utility at 811 before you dig. Allow the required time to have the underground facilities marked. Read and understand the markings at the jobsite and excavate carefully. Follow these procedures and you'll help BGE help you prevent loss of life, injury, and damage to property. Working together, let's put safety first and dig smart.