Safe excavation awareness programs have continued to help increase the number of calls to BC One Call, which in turn has led to a nine per cent decrease in construction-related damages to FortisBC's natural gas pipelines in 2010.

"We support the use of BC One Call, as history has shown that the best way to avoid causing damage to underground gas pipelines during any excavation is to first call BC One Call to request mapping information and then carefully hand dig to expose the buried gas lines. April has been designated as Safe Digging Month by the Government of Canada, and we want to continue reminding British Columbians to 'Call Before You Dig' in the interest of their own and the public's safety," said Dwain Bell, vice president, operations (natural gas), FortisBC.

While there has been an encouraging decrease in the number of construction-related pipeline damages in 2010, approximately 1,300 gas lines were still damaged (versus about 1,400 in 2009) as some excavators did not call BC One Call to obtain the location of gas lines and follow safe excavation practices. All excavation should be preceded by hand digging, prior to using any mechanical excavation equipment like an auger or a backhoe, as required by provincial regulations.

New provincial regulations also require excavators to obtain permission from FortisBC for any digging activities occurring within 40 metres of the utility's intermediate pressure or transmission pipelines. Depending on the scope of work begin done, FortisBC will outline conditions that must be met before work can begin, which could include FortisBC employees being on site during the excavation.

Information on the location of underground gas lines is provided free of charge. If gas lines still cannot be found after calling BC One Call and digging by hand, the public is encouraged to call FortisBC directly at 1-888-822-6555 for assistance.
www.fortisbc.com
www.bconecall.bc.ca