PRINTER'S NO. 1528
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
269
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY VOGEL, BARTOLOTTA, STREET, KANE, MARTIN, SCHWANK,
BREWSTER AND COSTA, APRIL 22, 2024
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, APRIL 22, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of April 2024 as "Safe Digging Month" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania 811 is a utility notification
information center with 52 years of continuous service to this
Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, The mission of Pennsylvania 811 is to prevent damage
to underground facilities and to promote safety by providing an
efficient and effective communications network among project
owners, designers, excavators and facility owners; and
WHEREAS, "Safe Digging Month" is an initiative sponsored by
Pennsylvania 811; and
WHEREAS, In 2023, Pennsylvania 811 received more than 1
million excavation notifications and transmitted approximately 6
million notifications to member facility owners and operators,
allowing essential utility and construction crews to provide
vital underground services and repair of critical infrastructure
to communities throughout this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Safe digging is a shared responsibility among
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excavators, homeowners and facility owners; and
WHEREAS, "Safe Digging Month" is a reminder for a homeowner
or contractor to contact Pennsylvania 811 three business days
before digging, so that the homeowner or contractor can be
connected with a unique service that notifies the appropriate
underground utility operators in the municipality in which the
work will be performed, to determine and mark the approximate
location of utility lines, as a way of preventing injuries,
property damage and inconvenient utility outages; and
WHEREAS, By notifying Pennsylvania 811 of the intent to dig,
the homeowner or contractor is knowingly helping to protect the
underground utilities themselves, the work crew and neighbors
from any unsafe digging practices within the community; and
WHEREAS, Upon receiving the notification from Pennsylvania
811, the facility owners and operators mark the approximate
location of their underground utility lines with flags or paint,
or both, to establish an 18-inch tolerance zone extending from
the outside wall or edge of their line or facility; and
WHEREAS, The act of December 10, 1974 (P.L.852, No.287),
referred to as the Underground Utility Line Protection Law,
protects the public health and safety by preventing excavation
or demolition work from damaging underground lines used in
providing electricity, communication, gas, propane, oil
delivery, oil product delivery, sewage, water or other service;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of April 2024
as "Safe Digging Month" in Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate encourage all Pennsylvanians to
visit the Pennsylvania 811 website at www.pa1call.org for
information about digging safely.
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