NYSEG and RG&E Urge Contractors and Customers
to Call 811 Before Beginning any Excavation Work
Skipping This Important Call to Dig Safely New York Could Be Deadly
Rochester, NY – NYSEG and RG&E, subsidiaries of Iberdrola USA, remind contractors and customers to call Dig Safely New York at 811 to have underground facilities marked before beginning any excavation work. This reminder comes after several recent incidents that damaged NYSEG and RG&E natural gas facilities.
“Something as seemingly harmless as a pick, a tent stake or a small excavator can cause serious damage to underground facilities, interrupt services and put people’s lives in danger,” said Mark S. Lynch, president of NYSEG and RG&E. “These facilities may be anywhere, and they are not always buried as deeply as one might think.”
Calling 811 two working days and not more than 10 working days before starting a dig is the only safe way to work. Once the call is made, Dig Safely New York will schedule free mark outs of all the underground utilities in the work area
“Contractors are required by law to call Dig Safely New York before digging and we strongly encourage do-it-yourselfers who are planning projects like putting up a fence or doing drainage work to call,” Lynch said. “Making this simple call will help ensure that work is done safely.”
###
About NYSEG, RG&E and Iberdrola USA: NYSEG and RG&E are subsidiaries of Iberdrola USA. NYSEG serves 878,000 electricity customers and 261,000 natural gas customers across more than 40% of upstate New York. RG&E serves 367,000 electricity customers and 303,000 natural gas customers in a nine-county region centered on the City of Rochester. Iberdrola USA, a subsidiary of global energy leader Iberdrola, S.A., is an energy services and delivery company with more than 2.4 million customers in upstate New York and New England. We are a team of dedicated individuals working as one to deliver value to our customers, employees and shareholders. By providing outstanding customer service and exceptional reliability, while holding safety and the environment in high regard, we aspire to be a world-class energy company. For more information, visit www.nyseg.com, www.rge.com and www.iberdrolausa.com.
About Dig Safely New York: Dig Safely New York is a not-for-profit organization that promotes an easier, safer digging environment and serves the entire state of New York outside of Long Island and New York City. Located in Syracuse, Dig Safely New York serves as a message handling service for member facility owners and operators, taking information about planned excavations and distributing this information to its membership. It is then the responsibility of each member to mark the location of their underground facilities at the excavation site. Dig Safely New York is not a utility and does not locate any underground facilities. For more information visit www.digsafelyny.com.
Follow us on Twitter: @NYSEandG, @RGandE and @IberdrolaUSA
Media Contacts: Clayton Ellis
cmellis@nyseg.com
607.762.7336
Dan Hucko
Daniel_Hucko@rge.com
585.724.8825
