Introduction

For many years now, Bottini Fuel has been explaining to people why it is important to call before they dig. For some reason, every year there seems to be someone that does not heed our warning. So instead, we are going to give you a list of the things that require a call before you complete. We are going to start off by letting you know what the reason is to call first, though.

Call First

The reason that there is the “Call before you dig” campaign is because there is so much danger that can happen from breaking things below ground. If you are digging by hand, you can get yourself electrocuted. If you are digging by machine, you can rupture gas or water lines and put people and property in danger. Let’s face it, people are terrible at tracking where they put things and bad stuff can happen. If it is in city, county, or state land, they are required to keep track of what they buried and where. This makes calling first the right thing to do. While you may not have put anything underground, you do have services that come to your house underground. So, we beg of you to call before you dig.

Dig Sites

There are a number of reasons people may feel the need to dig. Let’s take a look at the most common among them and let you know what you need to call for.

1. Flower beds or gardens – When people think of planting a garden or installing a flowerbed, they rarely give it a second thought. However, some things coming into your home are mere inches from the surface. So, while you may think that it is harmless to do that weekend project, you couldn’t be more wrong. It will cost you nothing to make a phone call and ask for the city to come to look before you plant. Yet, if you decide to dig and you happen to cut off the power to you or the neighborhood, it could cost you thousands of dollars. So, don’t take the chance and call first.
   
   
   
2. Mailboxes – While most of us living in the city don’t ever think about putting up a mailbox, it is a reality in many rural areas. They do not have access to the services we do. Therefore, they have the option of putting up a mailbox. If you are one of our rural readers, it is important to know that you will need to call before you put that mailbox up because many utilities can be found in very strange places. Especially close to the road where you are going to be installing your mailbox.
   
   
   
3. Previous site – Just because you are digging in a known site, does not mean work was not done without your knowledge. Besides, if you did not keep track of what was put where, you may find yourself at risk of injury.

Conclusion

Bottini Fuel would like to take this time to remind you again that it is very important to call before you dig anywhere. It just makes sense to keep you and the community safe.