A tasty breakfast awaits you with a safety message attached to encourage safe digging practices.
“Whether you’re digging for a home project or working on a construction site, following best practices for safe digging is crucial to prevent accidents and protect lives,” say officials with the Saskatchewan Common Ground Alliance, or SCGA.
April is Dig Safe Month, the so-called unofficial start to the digging season, and industry safety advocates point to the danger in digging without knowing what infrastructure is buried in the ground.
Things like gas lines, oil pipelines, electricity wires, water and sewer systems, and telecommunications cables are located beneath the surface, and the damage is both costly and a danger to people.
You can stay safe by contacting Sask 1st online or calling 1-866-828-4888 during office hours.
“In 2023, there were 615 reported damages to buried infrastructure in Saskatchewan, averaging about 2.5 incidents per workday,” says SCGA as it aims to reduce these damages to zero with its dig safe efforts.
The Common Ground Alliance estimates there is about $1 billion in damages to buried utilities in Canada every year.
In Alberta, you may contact Utility Safety Partners online or call 1-800-242-3447.
“Each year, Albertans pay more than $350 million to repair damages caused when homeowners and contractors dig without knowing what is below,” says Utility Safety Partners.
Several breakfast sessions are planned in Saskatchewan. The information meet-up in Lloydminster is on April 23 from 7:30 a.m. at the Lloyd Ex- Nissan Hall.
“This grassroots frontline worker event has been a staple in Saskatchewan for more than 30 years. The digging community looks forward to hearing the message and seeing the annual video that is put together for the Dig Safe Month,” says Shannon Doka, Executive Director with SCGA.
She urges you, if you are considering attending, to go online and register, as it closes off on Friday, April 18.
