The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) has announced findings from its first-ever National Utility Damage Assessment, which showed Americans unintentionally damage underground utilities approximately once per minute every year, risking serious injuries and costly service disruptions, fines and repair costs.

The National Utility Damage Assessment comprises data from CGA's Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) that illustrates recent utility damage trends (2006), as well as results from a national public opinion study of "do-it-yourself" (DIY) homeowners. This information, along with a series of relevant trend data, raises concerns about a likely increase in digging potentially resulting in an increase in utility damages for the remainder of 2008 and beyond.

According to the Assessment, people who fail to notify a local one-call center before digging cause approximately 40 percent of all utility damages, making it the top reason for these dangerous and costly incidents. This statistic jumps to 60 percent for landscaping and fence building, two types of projects that typically occur near homes.

The nation's 62 one-call centers, located in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, contact appropriate utility companies after receiving a call from someone who intends to dig. Locating technicians from these utility companies mark the approximate location of their lines with water-soluble paint or flags to reduce the likelihood of a digger striking a line.

Projections for 2008

Due to the recent downturn in the economy and housing market, most Americans are planning to stay in their current homes and make improvements on their own, according to a late March 2008 national public opinion study of homeowners that have property. This information is included in the Assessment.

Survey findings 

• 81 percent of respondents said they would prefer to take on some form  of home improvement project rather than attempt to sell their home if  forced to make that decision this spring. 
• 40 percent of respondents who did any sort of digging in the past 12  months plan to dig more in the next 12 months. 
• An additional 40 percent plan to dig the same number of times. 
• Not only are Americans choosing to improve their homes and property  instead of moving this year, they're planning on doing the bulk of the  work themselves. 
• 63 percent of respondents said they would choose to take on their own  digging projects versus hiring a contractor during the next 12 months. 
• In rural areas, the figure increased to 74 percent of homeowners.

This projected growth in DIY projects is a concern, because according to a 2007 public opinion study by CGA, only 33 percent of "DIYers" contact their utility companies through a local one-call center before digging.

"The current level of annual utility damages threatens public safety and reliable access to power, heat, water and communication services, and we're concerned it could be worse in 2008 with the increase in planned DIY projects," said CGA President Bob Kipp. "The data in our Assessment illustrates the need for a higher level of public awareness about the risks associated with digging without first contacting a local one-call center."

Reducing Utility Damage in 2008 and Beyond

The number 811 launched as the national call-before-you-dig telephone number on May 1, 2007, as a way to reach all 62 one-call centers with the same, easy-to-remember phone number. The number earned this designation from the Federal Communications Commission in 2005 at the direction of an Act of Congress in 2002.

Americans have made more than 15 million calls to one-call centers since 811's launch, but the data from the Assessment indicates that call volume must rise beyond that figure in the coming years for Americans to achieve a higher level of safety and service reliability.

"Having a single call-before-you-dig number that works in all parts of the country has been one of the largest breakthroughs in protecting our underground infrastructure and the people who dig," said Carl Johnson, Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation. "The next milestone will occur when all Americans call 811 as the first step in their project planning. If 911 is the number to call to report emergencies, 811 is the number to call to help prevent them when digging around your home."

To generate this increased call volume to 811, CGA and its 1,400 stakeholders have designated May as National Safe Digging Month, which will celebrate the one-year anniversary of the 811 launch.

This celebration will include a continuation of a national public education campaign that includes new content and video at www.call811.com, television and radio PSAs, industry and consumer outreach and local events to raise awareness about the importance of calling 811 to have utility lines marked before digging.