We receive phone calls daily from Homeowners who we assist in understanding the process and importance of placing an AB One Call prior to their ground disturbance projects and prior to hiring 3-D to locate their underground utilities.
There are many misconceptions with placing an AB One Call. So we are here to answer these common questions we are faced with.
Q: I called AB One Call and they aren’t going to be able to come out to locate for 1-2 weeks and I want to dig this weekend. Can’t we just hire 3-D to come and locate for us?
A: The answer is yes 3-D Can come and locate for you, although, we strongly suggest that you place an AB One Call first. This service is FREE to the public and it ensures that all the registered utilities 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.
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 www.abonecall.com:
Q: How do I know which utility companies need to respond to me?
A: On the bottom of your One Call Ticket, that you will receive, it will list all the registered utility owners for your work area. You should be contacted by a locator from each company.
Q: What if I haven’t heard any responses and it’s 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 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. We will contact the member to expedite a response on your behalf. Via www.abonecall.com
Q: Why am I being told I need to hire a secondary locating company to come out now?
A: Alberta One Call explains it best :
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. In some areas, some utility owners may charge to mark these lines. Via www.abonecall.com
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 an AB One Call. We take the time to explain to homeowners this process and to avoid the liability of not placing an AB One Call prior to any ground disturbance they are planning on doing. It is a SAFE- FREE service to the general public and it should be taken advantage of first 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, Hydrovac Services and Ground Disturbance Management 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.
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