Welcome to National Grid’s Tips of the Trade. National Grid is committed to your safety, and these tips are intended to help you work safely near our facilities. Please review these tips with your coworkers at your tailgate or toolbox meetings before work begins.
You may know that state law requires you to notify the free 811 service before you dig so underground utility lines can be marked. But do you know exactly how many days in advance of digging you must contact 811, how long locate tickets are valid in your state and whether you must pre-mark your dig area before locators arrive?
State-mandated notification timeframes, ticket life and pre-marking requirements vary. Here is a quick summary for normal locate requests in the areas National Grid serves:
Metro New York, Long Island and the Rockaways
- Call New York 811 or enter an online locate request at least two full working days but no more than 10 days before any excavation starts, excluding the day you call, weekends and legal holidays.
- Call 811 or 1-800-272-4480 | NewYork-811.com.
- Pre-mark your dig area with white paint, flags or stakes. (This is required by law if the dig site cannot be clearly or adequately described in your locate ticket.)
- The locate ticket is good for the life of your excavation, provided you begin within 10 days of the initial request, do not stop work for more than 10 days and you maintain the marks.
- The coverage area for locate tickets is not defined, but it is generally no more than one block and covering no more work than the excavator can do in a 10-day period.
Upstate New York
- Call Dig Safely New York or enter an online locate request at least two full working days but no more than 10 days before any excavation starts, excluding the day you call, weekends and legal holidays.
- Call 811 or 1-800-962-7962 | digsafelynewyork.com.
- Pre-mark your dig area with white paint, flags or stakes. (This is required by law if the dig site cannot be clearly or adequately described in your locate ticket.)
- The locate ticket is good for the life of your excavation, provided you begin within 10 days of the initial request, do not stop work for more than 10 days and you maintain the marks.
- The coverage area for a locate ticket is 500 feet or one block, whichever is greater. Each property in a project must have a separate locate ticket.
Massachusetts
- Call Dig Safe® or enter an online locate request at least 72 hours but no more than 30 days before any excavation starts, excluding weekends and legal holidays.
- Call 811 or 1-888-DIG-SAFE (344-7233) | digsafe.com.
- Pre-mark your dig area using white paint, flags or stakes.
- The locate ticket remains valid until the marks fade or are destroyed as long as work begins within 30 days after the locate request is made and work is continuous.
- A locate ticket’s coverage area is unlimited.
Rhode Island
- Call Dig Safe® or enter an online locate request at least 72 hours but no more than 30 days before any excavation starts, excluding weekends and legal holidays.
- Call 811 or 1-888-DIG-SAFE (344-7233) | digsafe.com.
- Pre-mark your dig area using white paint, flags or stakes.
- The locate ticket does not expire as long as work begins within 30 days after the locate request is made and you maintain the marks.
- A locate ticket’s coverage area is unlimited.
Emergency exceptions
Of course, if you must respond to an emergency – such as a threat to life, health, property or essential public services, like a broken water main or sewer line – these requirements do not apply. In this case, call 811 as soon as possible to request immediate emergency assistance.
For more contractor safety information, visit ngridsafety.com. |
