Manitoba Heavy Construction Association

10 SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020 A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Spring has arrived and that means the digging season will soon be here. With Manitoba's short summer season that isn't a lot of time do get things done. M anitoba has a vast network of utilities buried underground – cables, lines and pipes – supporting our critical services. Protecting its reliability is essential to meet the needs of Manitobans. Many people are not aware that anytime anyone digs by shovel or mechanical equipment, you must have the utilities located just so you know where lines or pipes must be, and to expose them properly. By the way, this is a FREE service provided to you from the utility owner/operators. Click Before You Dig MB is a service brought to you by the Manitoba Common Ground Alliance (MCGA) and its members. is service provides underground facility screening and noti cation for a safe excavation for any Manitoban who intends to disturb the ground and the utility operators who register their buried facilities. e MCGA is primarily concerned with the safety and the prevention of damage to underground utilities. Click Before You Dig MB works in partnership with Alberta One Call, a call centre that provides a communication service between the digging community and the owners of buried facilities. Locate requests in Manitoba are handed o to the utility owner or a contract locator. Depending on the work you are doing, the call centre noti es the utility and the locator can come out and put marks on the ground to let you know if there are utilities in your excavation. is is more than just protecting the utility; this is also about you and the public around you. Contacting an underground electric and/or natural gas line can be deadly if improperly exposed or damaged. Robert Morrison, co-chair of the Manitoba Common Ground Alliance, wants to remind people of the National Dig Safe campaign. April is typically the month when people start to plan to do work in their yards, planning their deck and fences and where they'll need to excavate for a post or support pile, for example. e rst step to planning your project should be knowing where the underground utilities are. is will allow you to plan ahead and adjust the area you were planning to install that post or adjust how you may excavate following sage excavation practices provided by each utility. Basically, if you don't have a locate you should not dig, whether you are a homeowner or a construction contractor. "By contacting Click Before You Dig MB well in advance of starting the work, people are making a responsible choice and doing their part to maintain public, worker and community safety," says Morrison. "Once you get the utilities marked, the nal and perhaps most important step is to follow the directions the utilities provide and dig safe! All the information is there." CLICK NOW BEFORE YOU DIG NATIONAL DIG SAFE MONTH INFORMS PUBLIC ON RISKS UNDERGROUND If you have questions or concerns about One Call services, please email info@clickbeforeyoudigmb.com. We reply to all information requests within 24 hours. Updates will be posted on ClickBeforeYouDigMB social media (Twitter & Facebook) and the ClickBeforeYouDigMB.com website. REQUESTING A LOCATE In an effort to optimize effectiveness, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, all parties are urged to submit locate requests online (with the exception of emergency locate requests) through clickbeforeyoudigmb.com to begin your locate request process. You will see a Chat or HELP button online should you need assistance, and one of our Support Agents will help you through the process. RESPONSE TO LOCATE REQUESTS – EXPECT DELAYS Our members are making every effort to respond to locate requests in a timely manner; however, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our members' capacity to respond to locate requests could be affected and delays are possible. Your Responsibility One-Call Responsibility Member Responsibility Request a Locate via ClickBeforeYouDig.com prior to every ground disturbance. • Receive and process locate requests and notify members in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba of the proposed ground disturbance in the vicinity of their buried assets. • Provide support and assistance to the digging public Respond to notifi cations of proposed ground disturbance in the vicinity of their buried assets by either locating and marking buried utilities, providing an 'all-clear' to excavate; or, requesting to meet onsite with the excavating party prior to the proposed ground disturbance. Please note: meeting onsite may or not be impacted due to COVID-19. Jackie Jones is an education and training advisor at MHCA's WORKSAFELY program B Y J A C K I E J O N E S

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