August 11th is National 8-1-1 Day: Top Resources for Your Safety Program

As August 11th – National 8-1-1 Day – approaches, consider the role that responsible excavation plays in the safety of your workforce.

Every year, the leading cause of damage to underground utilities is failure to contact 811 before digging, according to the Common Ground Alliance (CGA). Alarmingly, the U.S. sees an average of nearly 100 dig-ins to buried utilities every day for this reason.* These incidents represent 100 daily opportunities for serious harm to workers and community members, stemming solely from the oversight of not notifying 811.

Excavation training and resources are part of any robust safety program. This 8/11 Day, check out a range of tools available to augment your organization’s practices and procedures surrounding projects involving digging:

1. AGC’s 811 Survey: Best Practices and Challenges Contractors Encounter when Conducting Utility Excavations (Read)
2. AGC’s Call Before You Dig Webinar Series: These recorded sessions with accompanying slides offer essential safety guidelines for contractors and explore the legal consequences of damaging utilities during excavation.
   • Best Safety Practices for Contractors (Recording | Slides)
   • Legal Liabilities for Utility Excavation Damages (Recording | Slides)
3. Top 6 Tips for Safe Excavations: From AGC and CGA, here is a concise read providing six crucial tips to ensure safe excavation practices that you can send as an email, publish as an article or use for a toolbox talk.
4. AGC’s ConstructorCast – Digging Deeper: Check out this audio podcast episode delving into the risks associated with trenching and excavation work, and share it with your team.
5. Staying Safe When Digging Webinar: In partnership with the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), AGC’s recorded presentation with slides covers the fundamentals of trenching and excavation safety. (Recording | Slides)
6. Trenching & Excavation Training Modules: For true instruction, check out these comprehensive training modules from AGC (funded by an OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant), available in both English and Spanish.
7. AGC’s Elements of an Effective Underground Utility Excavation Safety Program: Here’s a detailed read outlining the key components of a robust safety and damage prevention program for underground utility excavation.

For more information on safe excavations, visit www.CommonGroundAlliance.com or any of the signatories to the OSHA Alliance Partners for Safe Trenching and Excavation Operations.

*SOURCE: Common Ground Alliance’s 2022 DIRT Report.