Submitted photo.
Technicians from Georgia Power’s underground location team took time on 8/11 to mark National 811 Day by demonstrating the tools and techniques used to locate and mark live underground lines.
Georgia Power Asset Protection Supervisor, Jesus Rivera says, “Contacting 811 before you dig is a simple, but critical step we encourage our customers to take. Not only can it prevent potential service interruptions, but it also helps ensure the safety of our customers, which is Georgia Power’s top priority.”
Georgia Power has a long history of working with Georgia 811, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to preventing damage to underground utilities and promoting public safety, to ensure that projects are safe and comply with the “Georgia Dig Law.” The law requires contact with Georgia 811 before mechanized digging to have buried power, communications, gas, and water lines marked to help prevent injuries, unintended service disruptions, repair costs, and fines. Contacting 811 is also recommended for smaller, manual jobs, such as planting trees, installing fences or mailboxes, or other digging activity.
Customers are asked to submit a location request at least three days before they dig by calling 811 or visiting Georgia811.com. There is no charge for 811 location requests.
Once the request is received, Georgia 811 notifies affected member utility companies, who send a professional technician to identify and mark underground lines. On average, Georgia Power processes approximately one million underground-locate requests each year.