If you follow this blog, you’ll know that we often write about the importance of safe digging. That’s because unauthorized excavation is a preventable cause of pipeline damage.
New legislation – Bill S-229 – is currently under review, to help the operators of underground infrastructure, including pipelines, prevent damage from people digging or excavating near their lines.
Here are three facts you should know about safe digging, and the proposed legislation:
Bill S-229 will build on, and enforce, the ‘click before you dig’ principle. According to the Canadian Common Ground Alliance (CCGA), it will:
Our country has a vast network of underground infrastructure, transporting the services we rely on every day. Wherever you work or live, there’s a good chance there are power or telecommunications cables, water or sewer lines, pipelines or other services, right underneath your feet.
When people dig or excavate without first checking for the location of these facilities, they are in danger of hitting and damaging critical underground infrastructure.
If you are planning any project where the ground will be disturbed, such as building a fence, you should always call or click before you dig. Your local one-call operator will notify the owners of the underground infrastructure, who will then come out and mark any buried utilities or services you might come into contact with in the course of your project. Taking this vital step is the only way to ensure you won’t damage underground infrastructure.
You can read more about safe digging in our damage prevention fact sheet, and these blog posts: