Not enough people calling before they dig
Posted October 2, 2012 8:46 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Call before you dig! It’s a message you hear all the time in ads on News1130.
Even so, figures suggest most natural gas leaks in BC are caused by people who don’t check for buried lines before they excavate.
Eric Skoher, the province’s safety manager for gas, tells the Vancouver Sun there were more than 1,200 natural gas leaks caused by excavation work in BC last year, and up to 75 per cent of “line hits” are from people who didn’t bother or weren’t even aware of BC One Call.
BC One Call is a free service that will pinpoint underground utilities. The non-profit organization, made up of utility providers, was formed in 1994 and provides maps of gas lines, electrical and fibre-optic cables and water and sewage pipes.
“A lot of contractors, as well as homeowners, tend sometimes not to call BC One Call. That causes, at times hit lines,” says Ruth Sulentich with FortisBC.
That rupture forced the evacuation of 10 buildings and cut gas service to hundreds of homes and businesses for hours.
“When contractors or homeowners call BC One Call, we can provide them with maps that outline where the natural gas pipeline is. In addition to that, once the map is received we recommend hand-digging in several spots along the pipe just to expose them and everyone knows exactly where it is underground,” she says.
Even if you’re just planting a tree or digging post holes on your property, it is recommended you contact BC One Call at 1.800.474.6886 or *6886 on your cellphone a minimum of three days before you dig to verify the location of any underground lines.
