Underground digs
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chris kennedy
Senior Member
- Location
- Miami Fla.
- Occupation
- 60 yr old tool twisting electrician
This is a constant thorn in my side. I do alot of underground (more fun at the beach tommorrow) and I'll tell the owner I need locations for so in so.
"What do you need locations for" and I'm not kidding when I say this is his response EVERYTIME!
Well because its the law.
Try the new 811 service.
"What do you need locations for" and I'm not kidding when I say this is his response EVERYTIME!
Well because its the law.
Try the new 811 service.
- Location
- Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- Hospital Master Electrician
The rules are simple. At best, you can dig 3 days after being asked to. If the fool wishes a hole dug with less notice, let him do it, and he can pay the fines. Be polite, firm and unwavering.
What is it up to now, $10,000 for a hit without locates?
What is it up to now, $10,000 for a hit without locates?
chris kennedy
Senior Member
- Location
- Miami Fla.
- Occupation
- 60 yr old tool twisting electrician
I recall a link to an artice about a guy that struck a primary at a tranny with a ground rod and was killed.
That was a couple months ago. I looked through Safety and the NEC. Any body remember the thread?
That was a couple months ago. I looked through Safety and the NEC. Any body remember the thread?
Pierre C Belarge
Senior Member
- Location
- Westchester County, New York
Digging without calling for locations is a common reason for Death, Injury, and disruption of utilities for buildings and whole blocks.
That is why the fines can be so steep.
That is why the fines can be so steep.
zog
Senior Member
- Location
- Charlotte, NC
My company has a location division and we get a call about everyday from someone who hit something because they didnt call, then they call us to locate everything else.
That is a problem we have in the event industry a lot. We need to drive ground rods for generators, and for grounding truss structures we build out on outdoor sites. But often we don't know where things are going to go until eveyone is on site building. Locations change around at the last minute. I've lost count of the number of irrigation pipes that I've broken with ground rods over the years. Fortunately I've not hit anything worse.
Nor do I see a good solution. We can call dig-safe and they freak out when we want an entire festival site marked. (square mile or miles in area) I've heard that out in LA, they prohibit driving ground rods for generators, instead requiring that the generator be parked on top of a big sheet of steel that has a ground lug on that. Pour out a couple quarts of gatorade underneath that daily and I'm told it works effectively.
Nor do I see a good solution. We can call dig-safe and they freak out when we want an entire festival site marked. (square mile or miles in area) I've heard that out in LA, they prohibit driving ground rods for generators, instead requiring that the generator be parked on top of a big sheet of steel that has a ground lug on that. Pour out a couple quarts of gatorade underneath that daily and I'm told it works effectively.
JohnConnolly
Senior Member
- Location
- Phoenix AZ
Twenty minutes after an POCO guys said the area was clear, our hole guy ran his 24" auger thru the secondary into to the primary direct burial POCO wires at an apartment complex.
The consequences were interesting as the voltage seemed to jump out at random places throughout the complex.
The consequences were interesting as the voltage seemed to jump out at random places throughout the complex.
dab
Senior Member
- Location
- Gasquet, CA
first year in the trade
first year in the trade
this is from memory...during my first year in the trade i was on a job that was down the street from UCLA. we heard of a death by electrocution. i believe the guy was on a steiny electric job that had concrete coring company drilling holes in an underground vault. the hole had been laid out and the operator of the equipment was only employed for a couple of days. he drilled through the concrete wall of the vault and ............drilled through 4160...... which killed him immediately. the breaker was said to have reset many times before they could get it shut off. the smell of burning flesh was overwhelming. if this isn't enough to make you call dig alert...then let god be with you.
first year in the trade
this is from memory...during my first year in the trade i was on a job that was down the street from UCLA. we heard of a death by electrocution. i believe the guy was on a steiny electric job that had concrete coring company drilling holes in an underground vault. the hole had been laid out and the operator of the equipment was only employed for a couple of days. he drilled through the concrete wall of the vault and ............drilled through 4160...... which killed him immediately. the breaker was said to have reset many times before they could get it shut off. the smell of burning flesh was overwhelming. if this isn't enough to make you call dig alert...then let god be with you.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
Chris,
Don
Why tell the owner?...in Illinois the only one that can get a valid dig number from the one call locate service is the person or company that will be doing the actual digging. Maybe that is not the same in other states. Here if I hire a excavation contractor to dig for me, I can't call and get a legal dig number...only the excavation contractor can, even though he is working for me as subcontractor.
Don
marissa2
Senior Member
- Location
- Connecticut
About 20 years ago everyone in my home town who used gas for heat or cooking lost it for a night when a building contractor hit the main gas line for the area. After it was repaired the gas company had to go from house to house to turn it back on. Good thing it wasn't too cold that night.
Lou
Lou
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
Just a word of caution. Just because you call doesn't mean that you are safe.
A contractor in town had the local POCO mark their underground before he did some parking lot standards. As they were digging with the auger and a worker was standing next to it, they hit a main line. They say the fire ball went about 20' in the air and the back hoe not quite as far. The guy next to the hole lost his eye brows and mustache. They said he walked to his car got in and they never saw him again.
The POCO's response? We didn't know that was there.
A contractor in town had the local POCO mark their underground before he did some parking lot standards. As they were digging with the auger and a worker was standing next to it, they hit a main line. They say the fire ball went about 20' in the air and the back hoe not quite as far. The guy next to the hole lost his eye brows and mustache. They said he walked to his car got in and they never saw him again.
The POCO's response? We didn't know that was there.
bkludecke
Senior Member
- Location
- Big Bear Lake, CA
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Couple of years ago we bought a digger derrick to do temp pole installs. That auger is the best UG pipe & cable locator I've ever owned!
Up here in the mountains there are lots of old buried systems that no-one knows about; tanks of all sorts, pipes, cables, you name it. Like Cowboy says, just 'cause it ain't maked does'nt mean it ain't there.
Up here in the mountains there are lots of old buried systems that no-one knows about; tanks of all sorts, pipes, cables, you name it. Like Cowboy says, just 'cause it ain't maked does'nt mean it ain't there.
cschmid
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern cold country
The boss here is great at digging and never calling.. he now has a locator and a metal detector he uses...I call for locates myself...I do not want to die because someone feels they need to be carless and not follow the law...I don't get paid that well...
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