FortisBC reminding residents about digging safely in their yards

MERRITT – As spring continues and the temperatures get warmer, residents may be outside doing yard work but officials are warning of digging safely.

April is safe digging month throughout B.C. and FortisBC is pushing for more dig safety.

“FortisBC’s damage prevention officers are reminding everyone to reach out to BC 1 Call before digging, excavating or disturbing the ground in any way, to gather information on the location of underground infrastructure,” wrote FortisBC in their release. “Having that information and following safe digging practices reduces the risk of injury, avoids interrupting essential services and prevents costly repairs.”

During the initiative, FortisBC has four damage prevention officers that work all year-round that attend incidents of damaged natural gas lines, investigate the cause, interview those involved, document the incident, and work with regulators on potential fines.

“We might be a small team, but we collaborate with so many organizations,” added Ron Field, damage prevention officer with FortisBC. “Internally with our operations teams, and externally with regulators, WorkSafe BC, BC 1 Call, first responders, other utilities and so many others, it really is a team effort to help reduce damages to underground utilities and help keep the public safe.”

Throughout the years, officials have found that their advances are slowly working. For the first time in 20 years, gas line incidents fell below 900 in 2022, to 896. Roughly 70 per cent of those situations came from residents who didn’t contact BC 1 Call before digging.

Contractors or residents can contact BC 1 Call at 1-800-474-6886 or can visit the FortisBC website for more information.