Damage Prevention

The leading cause of pipeline accidents is excavation by third parties without proper notification to 811. Even smaller projects that include installing mailboxes, fencing, flagpoles, posting signs, plowing and basic landscaping can cause damage to an underground pipe or utilities. Agricultural examples include plowing, tilling, installing or repairing drainage tiles, digging a pond or well, burying a septic tank, and constructing a pond. Damage can be prevented by making a simple toll-free call to 811. All persons engaged in excavation activities are responsible for understanding the damage prevention laws and local ordinances in their state.

Before Digging, Always:

• Call 811 or contact the One-Call Center
• Wait for the site to be marked or the operator to respond positively
• Respect the markings and dig or excavate carefully

Third-party contractors are subject to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements. OSHA cites in its "General Duty Clause" that potential regulatory enforcement actions could be taken against excavation contractors who put their employees at risk by not using proper harm prevention practices. Failure to adequately prevent damage could subject the excavator to OSHA regulations.

Importance of Safe Excavation

Diversified Energy personnel will take steps to minimize the amount of product that escapes and isolate the emergency area. Our control center will be able to:

• Stop or reduce the flow of product
• Send pipeline emergency response personnel and equipment to the scene of the emergency
• Inform you of any special precautionary recommendations
• Act as a liaison between emergency response agencies and pipeline company personnel
• Help bring the emergency to an end as quickly and safely as possible

Any damage to the pipes, including dents, nicks or coating damage, should be reported to the operator as soon as possible. If you cause, witness, or suspect even minor damage to a pipe or its protective coating, evacuate the area and call 911 and the pipe company immediately. DO NOT further excavate, cover or fill the site, or attempt to move any equipment.

Cross drilling is the inadvertent drilling of a new pipeline through an existing pipeline using trenchless drilling. Cross drilling compromises the integrity of underground structures.

Additionally, state laws require that a minimum clearance or tolerance zone be maintained, which is a defined horizontal space between the excavation point and a marked pipe. Be sure to familiarize yourself with your state's tolerance zone requirements.

Damage prevention is a shared responsibility.