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| 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. |
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| Natural gas pipeline markers |
| Getting ready to dig? Be sure to notify 811 and check for National Grid’s pipeline markers near your dig site. These markers are usually bright yellow and display our name and emergency phone number. If you see one, you’ll know a high-pressure natural gas pipeline is nearby and extra precautions are necessary. |
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| Markers do NOT replace 811 |
| Pipeline markers indicate the general location of high-pressure gas transmission pipelines and some distribution lines. For security reasons, these markers do not show the exact location, depth or number of gas pipelines in the area. So, tracing a straight line between two markers near your proposed site and avoiding that line won’t do the trick – the pipeline does not necessarily follow a straight course between the markers. |
| In addition, pipeline markers do not show the location of service lines that carry natural gas to homes and businesses. So never use pipeline markers as a substitute for notifying 811. Always notify 811 before you dig to have all utility lines in your dig area located and marked. By law, you must call 811 or enter an online request at least 72 hours before digging in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and at least 48 hours before digging in New York, excluding weekends and legal holidays. |
| Pipeline markers call for extra care |
| Damage to a high-pressure pipeline can cause a natural gas leak that results in a catastrophic fire or explosion. If you plan to excavate within 20 feet of a high-pressure pipeline, you are required to attend an onsite meeting and/or have contact with qualified National Grid representatives to help reduce the risk of excavation-related damage. National Grid MUST be onsite during the excavation. |
| If you observe suspicious activities or any signs of a natural gas leak near a pipeline marker, call the phone number listed on the marker. Signs of a gas pipeline leak may include a distinctive, sulfur-like odor (but not always). So be alert for other warning signs as well: |
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A hissing, whistling or roaring sound |
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Dirt blowing into the air from a hole in the ground |
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Continuous bubbling in water |
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Dead or dying vegetation (in an otherwise moist area) over or near a pipeline |
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An exposed pipeline after a fire, flood or other disaster |
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A damaged connection to a gas appliance |
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| Would you like to know more? |
Additional utility safety tips, case studies, instructional videos and training tools can all be found, at no charge to you, on National Grid’s e-SMARTworkers website. |
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