National Fuel Reminds Residents & Contractors: Call 8-1-1 Before Digging and Know What the Colors Mean

As spring projects and outdoor construction ramp up during National Safe Digging Month this April, National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation (National Fuel) is reminding homeowners and contractors to call 811 or visit pa1call.org before digging to help prevent damage to underground utilities and to keep communities safe.

Pennsylvania law requires anyone planning to dig to contact 811 at least three and no more than 10 business days before digging. This free service ensures underground utilities are professionally located and marked prior to excavation. The requirement applies to all digging projects, including landscaping, gardening, and installing fences, swing sets, mailboxes, and other outdoor improvements. The national 811 phone number connects callers with local One Call Centers, which notify National Fuel and other underground utility companies of the planned excavation. National Fuel then dispatches professional locators to mark the approximate positioning of lines.

Yellow markings indicate natural gas infrastructure, which require extreme caution when digging nearby. Once all utilities have responded and markings are in place, digging can begin carefully around the marked areas. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, calling 811 is the most effective way to prevent excavation-related incidents. Research shows those who call before digging have a 99 percent chance of avoiding injuries, service outages, costly repairs, environmental damage and even fatalities.

National Fuel urges everyone planning to dig to follow these critical safety steps:

• Call 811 or visit pa1call.org at least three business days before digging • Do not begin work until all utilities have responded and lines are marked

• Treat markings as approximate locations – dig carefully by hand near them • Don’t remove flags or paint before the excavation begins

• If a line is struck or a gas odor is detected, leave the area immediately and call 911 and National Fuel at 1-800-444-3130 Damage to underground utilities can lead to gas leaks, fires, environmental harm, and service disruptions that impact entire neighborhoods.

Calling 811 or visiting pa1call.org before every digging project, and understanding the markings that follow, helps keep workers, families and communities safe. “Calling 811 before digging is easy, completely free and could prevent injuries, service interruptions, costly repairs or worse,” said Amanda Nelson, spokesperson for National Fuel.

“It is just as important that the public understand what the colored markings mean and they respect them once they’re in place. Many of the incidents we respond to each year occur because digging begins before utilities are properly located.” -more- For more information about safe digging and natural gas safety, visit nationalfuel.com or call 1-800-365-3234. Smell gas? Leave fast! As always, if you smell gas, leave fast! If a rotten-egg natural gas odor is present, leave the premises immediately and call National Fuel’s emergency line, 1-800-444-3130, from a different location. If you smell gas outdoors, leave the area immediately, call National Fuel’s emergency number and provide the address nearest to the site of the odor. To learn more about natural gas safety, visit www.nationalfuel.com/utility/gas-safety/. National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation is the Utility segment of National Fuel Gas Company, an integrated energy company that is engaged in a number of gas-related activities, The Utility serves 2.2 million residents in Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania. National Fuel is committed to providing safe, reliable natural gas service and promoting public safety across the communities it serves.