Every organization is calling May their own. No sooner had I finished writing an entry about May being National Home Improvement Month, now I have another group calling it Safe Digging Month. Call 811 is the national phone number homeowners and contractors should call before beginning their digging projects. Digging safe is a serious business; it is estimated a utility line is unintentionally hit every minute in the U.S. These unintentional hits often result in injury, service outages, repairs and big penalty fines. Utility lines are typically buried only a few inches underground, so even shallow digging projects may be affected. No matter what the size of your digging project, be sure to call 811 before you start. Calling the 811 phone number from anywhere in the country routes your call to your local One Call Center. From there, operators ask the location of your digging job and forward your call to the appropriate utility companies. The utility companies can then send a professional locater to your site to mark lines. Hitting a utility line is something you never want to experience, so be sure to call 811 before starting any digging project.

Credit: National Safe Digging Month