April is National Safe Digging Month

MAYS LANDING, N.J. - More than 100 local contractors, public works personnel and excavators  attended the Atlantic City Electric (ACE) and South Jersey Gas (SJG) underground utility safety and damage prevention seminar March 21 at Atlantic City Electric's headquarters, Mays Landing, N.J.

As part of a series of meetings being held statewide, the seminar is designed to educate and promote public awareness of underground facility protection and safety. Attendees learned more about utility operator and excavator responsibilities, best practice steps to follow for safe digging and the importance of calling 811 before digging.

"We are committed to safety. Our goal is to educate and promote awareness around underground facility protection and stress the importance of calling 811 before digging," said Vince Maione, region president, Atlantic City Electric.

As part of the educational seminar, representatives of Atlantic InfraTrac, a utility locating service company owned and operated by Marilyn Grabowski, demonstrated a mark out of gas and electric utility lines to show how the lines are found and identified for safe digging.

April is National Safe Digging Month. Both ACE and SJG are committed to reminding excavators and the community about the importance of underground utility safety and why it's so important to call 811 for a mark out before digging.

811 is the nationally recognized "Call Before You Dig" phone number designated to help save lives by minimizing damages to underground utilities. One free call to 811 connects you to New Jersey One Call, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of your intent to dig. Professional locators are then sent to the requested digging site to mark the locations of underground facility lines with flags or spray paint.

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