| 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 natural gas pipelines. Please review these tips with your coworkers at your tailgate or toolbox meetings before work begins. |
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| Practices for emergency excavation |
| Not every dig job grants you the luxury of waiting your state’s required time for utility lines to be marked. Certain excavation jobs require immediate action to address a compromising event. Determining whether the event warrants an emergency excavation and coordinating with your state 811 center are the first steps toward keeping yourself and the public safe as well as protecting property and facilities. |
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| What warrants an emergency excavation? |
| According to the Common Ground Alliance, an emergency excavation “includes situations that involve danger to life, health, or property or that require immediate correction in order to continue the operation of or ensure the continuity of public utility service or public transportation.” Examples include: |
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Water or cable outages of essential buildings |
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Breaches of livestock fences |
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| How to approach an emergency excavation |
| If you must proceed before utility lines are located, use extreme caution to prevent damage to underground facilities and to avoid endangering people and property while working the emergency. |
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| Do NOT proceed without a locate if the job is not a true emergency, such as planting landscape or rushing a late project. Violations will subject you to civil penalties. |
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| Follow these tips for coordinating your emergency excavation with your state 811 center: |
| In New York: |
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Proceed without prior notification to New York 811 or UDig NY if the excavation or demolition cannot be reasonably delayed. |
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As soon as possible, notify the 811 center about the emergency excavation in progress. |
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| In Massachusetts: |
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As soon as possible, notify Dig Safe® with the location of the emergency excavation for an emergency dig safe permit. |
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Locators will respond ASAP to the emergency ticket request (within three hours). |
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