On 811 Day, remember that safe digging starts with a call to 811.
“I didn’t know.”
That’s what I heard time and time again over my 36-year career as a Piedmont Natural Gas worker and fire chief after arriving on scene at a cut natural gas line. Sometimes it was a homeowner. Other times, a contractor. Almost every time, they were working on a project and hit a line by mistake, saying they didn’t know to call 811 before beginning to dig.
One homeowner didn’t call 811 before digging in his front yard while installing a new water line when he accidentally hit a three-quarter-inch natural gas line with his trencher, sparking a fireball that caused a life-threatening emergency. Luckily, that homeowner escaped with his life but was left with a very expensive lesson he’ll never forget.
Unfortunately, do-it-yourself home-improvement projects turns into emergencies thousands of times a year. Already in 2022, Piedmont Natural Gas and Duke Energy have reported damage to underground natural gas and electric lines nearly 5,000 times.
Aug. 11 is a day dedicated to preventing these types of accidents by calling 811 – a free and easy service that prevents injuries, outages and costly repairs by identifying underground utility lines before a landscaping or yard project.
I was a natural gas worker for more than 36 years. Every day I woke up proud to serve my community. On this 811 Day, I challenge all of you to help keep our homes, families and neighborhoods safe by calling 811 every time you pick up a shovel for a project.
Lee Bedell is a retired Piedmont Natural Gas worker and current fire chief in Wentworth, N.C.
