Ginger,
I have not specifically used 'Dig Safe', but have used the 'call before you dig' services in three states on numerous occasions with no problems. I dig a lot.
They ask approximately where on the property you plan to be digging, and mark any gas, electric, phone and cable lines that are buried.
Jo

My experiences were good. In SC, its the law to call and get the lines marked before you dig.

I have used it many times ... works well in our area ... if you get blown up these days it is your own fault !

Good Day ...

Right, Mohave. Too funny! The homeowner could care less if we get blown up -- they usually say something like "Well, we've only lived here a few years, so we don't really know. But it should be OK." Makes me think of the 3 stooges or Laurel and Hardy--gardening amongst the gas lines . . .

G.

Around here it's called ULOCO and if I'm digging anywhere new with anything bigger than my trowel I call 'em. Nice folk.

melanie

If you don't use it, you're personally liable for any damage, plus a hefty fine ($25K in Kansas). In Kansas, it will take 48 hours to get them marked. Also, in Kansas, their employees are rude & surly.

Wow, Larry, $25K . . . In New Hampshire law requires us to notify Dig Safe at least 72 hours before excavation, but only on public property, rights of ways and easements.
Remember, our state motto is "Live Free or Die." Or as many of us believe it should read: "Live Free and Die"

We're not doing any excavating, but have had occasion to dig down 2' or so; that's enough to be potentially dangerous.
I was asking this question b/c I would have to be flagging areas and having these people come out to sites 40-50 times over a seasom. They'll get to be my friends . . . just kidding. Hope ours aren't surly.

G.

I use it for business purposes. In Oregon, the law requires all landscape contractors, and contractors, to have the utilities located - for ANY excavation. Planting shrubs is excavation. A pond is excavation.

The most interesting thing I learned last year, a subcontractor must call in their own line locate - each subcontractor.

One landscaper did irrigation work for me, and he got stuck with a phone line repair bill, because I called in a locate, but he didn't. On that project, the irrigation contractors should have called in a locate, and also the stump grinding service (who I think did call a repeat locate).

It is remarkable what kinds of lines run through yards in the most unexpected places.

In some of our older area some rather nasty power lines run along the curb of the front yard only a few feet down ...

One contractor caused an entire shopping area to go dark ... I don't think they were very happy with him.

Be Careful ...

Good Luck.

Around here it's called "Blue Stake" and they only mark UP TO the proprety line, not within the property itself.

So I dig carefully, and have a map of where the gas and underground electric goes.

Ginger, when I had some shrubs and trees planted last year by an arborist, he called them to mark utilities. He marked the general area with white paint, tho I've never had to flag the areas, they just ask what part of the property you'll be working on: front of the house, back and side only, etc.
He did this for the areas they were using shovels on, as well as the ones for the backhoe.
Jo

That's just what I will have to start doing, Jo. Anything regulated is not too popular around these parts, so there is little emphasis on this. People figure it out for themselves and take the chance. It is not legislated. Last season I started to see a few ads on TV about Call Before You Dig - Dig Safe. This season I am going to use the service when necessary, even tho' it adds on one more layer of things to do. I guess I can charge my clients for time spent marking things out, meeting the Dig Safe worker, etc. Wonder how they will take that??

Ginger

Ginger, it's just a 5 minute phone call. You don't have to meet the worker. The SafeDig answering service will (probably) ask what portion of the property do you wish to have flagged. You'll give'm a detailed description. Then, the guy will go ahead and flag the whole dad-gum property. By the way, around these parts, telephone cables are typically buried 4" deep. You could easily sever one while putting out plants.

ginger,

I think I see what you are leading to in your last reply.

The time used must be accounted for.

Professionals should mark their own location, and that can't be done over the phone.

One tree service here, marks the site in advance, and calls it in before, or during the estimate process. He just keeps white paint on hand.

One good thing, the locate service here will skip marking hardtop of permanent surface if requested to.

In landscaping, I've realized that its near impossible to give an estimate without a line locate.

We put in a pond last year, that was 12' from a significant electric line going through a front yard - not to the house, but for the other houses on the street.

If the pond was located 12' over, I would have to have redone the entire front landscape design plan.

I won't do any more design plans that have something like a pond, without a utility check beforehand.

Even with the locate & dig services you can still hit a line. The good thing about locating your lines (power ,phone, cable, gas,etc.) if you do hit one after a location most providers will not charge you for the repair. May the Lord in Heaven help you if you crunch one of these lines and you haven't called!! Most utilities will hold you the contractor liable.
While excavating around a very old house in SC we hit both the phone line and gas line at the same time ( talk about a really fun day) the two lines were near each other but were about three feet away from the paint markings I usaually figure a margin of error one foot either way. My back hoe operator went for it and we got bit.
When calling the repair people,for both companies, I was asked if I had called the Locators. I was glad I could answer yes. It is a good CYA tool that takes one phone call and allowance of 48 hours not a bad bargain considering the alternative.
P>

It is interesting that some buried utilities are so valuable, the lines may not be identified with paint.

A stump service mentioned this to me. Said a man met him and pointed out the location of a communications line. Apparently the value is so high, markings are not left to reduce the likelihood of vandalism or sabotage.

When our line checks were done, not long ago, I mentioned that to the line locating employee. He verified that was true. And he said that kind of line is one of the worst possible lines to hit without a line locate request.

Larry-
In NH, the contractor has to mark the site that is being excavated or dug; then the Dig Safe people come and flag the lines within 72 hrs of your call. You are correct that there probably is no need for the contractor to be present.

Perry-
Good point about the 1' "margin of error" and CYA . . .

Mario-
Thanks for telling about your work experiences with utility checks

G.

This is what I do. I call the free service. They tell me if their lines are present or not, even send me a fax, everything after that is approximate. If it is possible to physically locate this is favourite and often, as Larry says the 'phone lines may be pretty close to the surface especially in clay, TV cable too. It is often less expensive to rip irrigation out than try to work around it. Electricity is the one that kills people.
My client was a radio celebrity who was having an affair with the wife of a golf celebrity, the rhododendrons were alive with paparazzi, the man wanted a natural pond. It was a rural area and the only utility was the main electricity connection for the nearby village that ran through the property. The electicity people drew me a plan, to scale, and then drew a line with a felt tip where the line was. According to my calculations this cable would be ten feet round! How deep? I asked. Three feet.
We dug to four feet, carefully, by hand and there was no cable, enter the backhoe. Those with imagination can guess the rest. I too was a celebrity for a while having plunged the whole village into darkness it also cost me $3000.00.
Lesson learned.

Here is one of the differences between a first world country and a third world country. There you have a service that you can call and ask about the whereabouts or utilities, here no service exsists. About 15 years ago on the highway between Valencia and Caracas there was a back hoe digging a trench for the telephone company or some other big company, right along the side of the road. The guy hit a gasoline duct and about 30 people were instantly incinerated as their vehicles drove through the fire ball. The families could get nowhere in the court system with a law suit, no one was responsible!!!!!! That would have been a wopping lawsuit up there.

Ginger -

As phdNC said, it's a good idea to call them, but they do sometimes make mistakes. My husband is a residential building contractor who has used them, and his experience is that they mostly get it right, but not always. I'm not sure how using them affects liability for damages done if unmarked lines are hit here in the granite state.

Babs

The way it should affect it is that the contractor made the call as required.

Then they (Oregon at least) give a reference number for verification purposes.

And what I do now, I photograph the markings after the line locates are done - two reasons:

1. To show that they put them where they did.

2. Construction activity ruins the marks. The photos help us, in many cases, to keep track of what markings were where (needs some small landmarks).

There may be two parts to this:

1. Whether or not someone has to pay a utility company for damage to the lines.

2. Whether or not the contractor is liable for damage to other people or things due to hitting a line.

It makes a big difference in terms of liabilty ... here it is LAW to call before you dig ... not just a good idea ... as the owner of a company YOU are responsible for the safetey of your employees and the public ....

Devices today can easily mark underground obstacles to within inches ... even so ... all you really need to know is that something is there ... and then decide how to dig or not to dig knowing the danger ... it often means working by hand if need be.....or giving up the idea completely.

To not do so is NEGLIGENT ... or at least that is how I would vote if I was on a jury ... this is one of the joys of being a self employed contractor and a COST that needs to be figured in to your pricing when you bid a job ....

It's not just about adding the cost of materials and labor .... Whats the risk ? And how much do I charge to make it worth my while ?

A unfortunate experience could cost you your business and your lively hood ... It's not a game out there. Be careful.

Good Day ...

I had the same experience as lazygardens while on a job in Sedona, Aridzona. The Blue Stake people only marked the street up to the property line. What good is that when itÂs the gas, water, phone, and power lines that are on the property that are of concern? It would be different if the lines ran straight and true but more than likely they curve or meander a bit. We were lucky that we didnÂt hit anything.

On a job in southern California, I called the water department to locate their line before grading that included blasting. They were very appreciative that I placed the call even though the main was at least a tenth mile away.

In Michigan it is called Miss Dig. I called because our rural subdivision was putting up 29 mailbaoxes, all 4 feet from their driveways. The gal on the phone gave me 29 ticket numbers, which I wrote down, and they painted the ground & put up small flags 2 days later. At one home the tractor post hole digger would not go any deeper, it was stuck between 2 utility pipes, contents unknown. At another house the tractor cut the phone line to 4 homes and they wanted to charge the subdivision $500 for the repairs, but we gave them the ticket numbers and pointed out the flags, and then never heard from the phone company again. Keep track of everything, and get the name of everyone you talk too.