(Syracuse, NY – April 2013) In November of last year, an Alfred, NY apartment building was razed in a natural gas explosion, leaving two people with injuries and more than 30 people homeless. In February of this year, a fatal natural gas explosion in Kansas City, Mo. left one person dead, 15 people injured and an entire building leveled.
Although months and miles separated these two incidents, there is one key element they have in common – in both instances; excavation occurred without safe digging practices in place.
In order to make New Yorkers more aware of dangerous situations like those mentioned above, and how they can easily be avoided, Garry Brown, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, has declared April “Dig Safely Month,” a decree that Dig Safely New York Operations Manager Kevin Hopper considers both an honor and an opportunity.
“We’re pleased to be able to use this as an opportunity to talk to New Yorkers about the importance of digging safely,” Hopper said. “Accidents like the ones that occurred in Kansas City and Alfred don’t have to happen, and all it takes is calling 8-1-1 and following up with safe digging practices.”
Hopper explained that dialing 8-1-1 gives people a direct line to Dig Safely New York headquarters. Lines are manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week to receive and process calls. Serving as a link between excavators and utility companies, Dig Safely New York notifies an average of six utility owners with each call, saving excavators time and money.
“We’re a not-for-profit organization, and our primary objective is helping people stay safe,” Hopper said. “We just want people to make that call before they dig. Many people don’t realize it, but it’s the law, and we’re doing everything we can to increase awareness.”
One major way that Dig Safely New York has worked to get their message out is through the production of a video series aimed at making the importance – and necessity – of calling Dig Safely New York clear-cut to consumers who might not understand the process. The 10-part video series, available to the public at www.digsafelynewyork.com/video/ provides information for every phase of digging safely, from preparing for the call to what to do when faced with an emergency situation.
“With the video series, we want to break down the call process in easy-to-understand steps, so that we can take the mystery out of making the call to 8-1-1 for consumers,” Hopper said. “We don’t want people to feel intimidated; we want to use this video series to help them know the facts.”
And the fact is; consumers have less than a one percent chance of hitting an underground utility line if they call 8-1-1 before they dig and if they follow all of the safe digging steps Dig Safely New York provides.
“It is always the goal of Dig Safely New York to increase public awareness to the point where digging accidents become a thing of the past,” Hopper said. “We hope our new video series brings about a greater understanding of the work we do and how simple it is for consumers to contact us and above all, stay safe!”