Here at 3-D, we share our experience and expertise with many prospective clients, as well as provide support for those in the digging community in the hope we can help prevent damage to buried facilities. Part of operating a unique business is having the opportunity to give back to our community in some way.
One group that we receive phone calls from almost daily are Homeowners. We assist in their understanding of the process and importance of placing a One Call through Utility Safety Partners prior to their ground disturbance projects. An informed decision is helpful prior to hiring 3-D to locate their underground utilities.
There are many misconceptions about placing a One Call. So, we would like to offer some insight and answer these common questions we receive.
Q: I submitted a one-call request through the Utility Safety Partners website. One response suggested they cannot come out and locate for 2 weeks. My trees arrive for planting on the weekend. Can we just hire 3-D to come out and locate the lines for us?
A: The answer is yes 3-D can come and locate for you, although, we strongly suggest that you place a One Call first. This one-call service is FREE to the public and it ensures that all the member registered utilities in proximity to your work area have been accounted for by the companies themselves and reduces the liability for all parties. The utility owners have their own locators that respond for each registered utility. It is mandatory that the locations of all buried utilities be marked before a ground disturbance begins.
Emergency or Priority locate requests can be placed by calling 1-800-242-3447. To make an Emergency or Priority request, you must be digging to perform a repair to correct a condition that poses an immediate threat to life, health, or property – including repair of essential services such as water, power, phone, or gas.
If you require locates sooner than three full working days because your request was not placed in time, the utility owners and their locators will not likely be able to accommodate you any earlier than three full working days due to the volume of requests they are processing. Via https://utilitysafety.ca
Q: How do I know which utility companies need to respond to me?
A: You will receive a “one-call ticket,” it will list all the member registered utility owners for your work area. You should be contacted by a representative from each company.
Q: What if I have not heard any responses and it has been over 3 full working days? Can I dig?
A: No. You need to have those buried facilities located. Hitting a line can be costly, as well as a danger to your own safety.
“No. It is not safe to dig until all locates have been completed, or you have been provided with clearance to dig from each member utility owner notified on your locate request.
If a member of Alberta One-Call has been notified and has not contacted you within the three full working days advance notice period or has failed to mark the locations of buried utilities as arranged, contact Alberta One-Call at 1-800-242-3447. They will contact the member to expedite a response on your behalf. “
Via https://utilitysafety.ca
Q: Why am I being told I need to hire a secondary locating company to come out now?
A: Utility Safety Partners has a great explanation:
Most, but not all, utility owners have registered their lines with Alberta One-Call. There may be utilities on your property that they are unaware of.
The utility owners and their locators are unable to mark:
- Privately installed lines (e.g., power from your house to your garage).
- Secondary lines (e.g., electrical lines past the meter).
- Customer-owned utilities (e.g., water and sewer lines are the responsibility of the property owner past the shut-off valve at the property line).
The utility company does not own these lines and therefore does not have any information about their location.
Via https://utilitysafety.ca
This is when you can place a call to 3-D Line Locating Ltd. to come to locate for a secondary sweep of your work area for a fee.
3-D is here to help anytime for anyone that has questions or may be finding it difficult to understand the process of placing a One Call. We take the time to explain to homeowners this process and to avoid the liability of not placing a One Call prior to any ground disturbance they are planning to do. Alberta one-call is a SAFE- FREE service to the public and it should be utilized prior to contacting a secondary locating company when or if needed. By doing so it protects everyone and continues to promote a Safe Digging Culture and Awareness
More Info:
- Attachment- Home Owners guide to Safe Digging
- What are the Homeowners Responsibilities
- Ab One Call FAQ’s
3-D Line Locating Ltd is a privately owned Buried Pipeline and Utility Locating, Ground Disturbance Management and SCT Services company. For over 20 years, we have been at the forefront of the Damage Prevention industry in Western Canada. Although the industry has changed significantly over the last 20 years, we have been very fortunate to have been at the leading edge of the evolution and still maintain the highest levels of quality, accuracy, consistency and customer satisfaction in our industry.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram and stay up to date with what we are working on and all the latest news in our industry.
