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| Always Notify 811 Before You Dig. It's the Law! |
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| Do you have a project that involves digging? If so, remember to include notifying 811, your local one-call utility locator service, in your excavation plans. Damage from digging activities can cause power outages and pipeline accidents, and we need your help to prevent them! |
| Order our FREE worker safety kit on the PNM e-SMARTworkers website. |
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| Always contact your state 811 center before digging and for the most current requirements. |
| Call 811 or submit an online request at NM811.org at least 2 working days before digging in New Mexico, not including the day of call. It’s the law! |
| The 811 service will notify any utilities that have underground facilities in your dig area so they can mark out the utility locations. Once you know where utility lines are located, you can dig a safe distance away from them. (You must hire a private locating contractor to locate non-utility-owned lines, such as gas lines to grills or power lines to swimming pools.) |
| Know the Dangers |
| If you don’t notify 811 before digging, you risk contacting a buried utility line. Hitting a buried electric line can cause outages and serious shock injuries or fatalities. Hitting a gas line can lead to a fire or explosion. You can avoid property damage, personal injury and possible fines and repair costs by notifying the 811 service before you start to dig. Even small or shallow digging jobs require this. |
| Follow the Five Steps for Safe Excavation |
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Pre-mark your proposed excavation area with white paint, flags or stakes. |
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Call 811 or use the online locate request system. |
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WAIT the required time for utilities to be marked before you dig. |
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Follow state laws for digging within the “tolerance zone.” This safety area spans the width of a marked utility plus 18 inches from each indicated outside edge. |
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| 5. |
Respect the markings, expose utilities by hand to confirm their exact location, and dig with caution! |
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| Would You Like to Know More? |
| Additional utility safety tips, case studies, instructional videos and educational tools can all be found, at no charge to you, on PNM’s e-SMARTworkers website. |
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