Missouri 811 and Ameren partner for safe digging demonstration

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Underground facilities contact Missouri 811 and Ameren hosted a demonstration Monday of what happens when someone calls 811 before starting a digging project.

Missouri 811 is a hotline established in 1986 after the Missouri Underground Facility Safety and Damage Prevention Act 319 was passed into law.

According to the Missouri 811 website, there are five steps that happen after someone calls requesting their property be checked.

1. Request a utility online or by calling 811 at least three full working days before excavation.
2. Missouri 811 will notify any public utility companies within your dig site.
3. The utilities will locate and mark their lines.
4. Homeowner/contractor confirms the marks and utility statuses.
5. Dig with care.

At the demonstration, Ameren painted lines and placed flags on the property indicating utility lines are nearby. This gave the digger an idea of areas to avoid to ensure no utility lines were hit.

A spokesperson for Missouri 811 said the biggest misconception about calling before digging is that it only applies to large-scale projects.

"It is state law that you have to notify us if you're going to dig in the ground," Nicholas Rasa, education and marketing manager for Missouri 811, said. "The only exemption in Missouri is farmers. If they're not going over 16 inches, don't have to call. But other than that, even if you're putting a flower in your backyard or doing your landscaping project or anything like that, you have to notify us."

Ramona Shatzer, Damage Prevention Public Awareness Specialist for Ameren, said that calling 811 is for the safety of both the diggers and the property.

"It is for the purpose of protecting our customers and the infrastructure as well as for your safety, to make sure that nothing happens," Shatzer said. "If a utility damage happens to you, you'll have an interruption of service and potentially hurt yourself."

National 811 Day is Aug. 11, which is meant to bring awareness to the excavation helpline.