| December 2020—Everyone’s resources have been affected by the COVID-19
pandemic. You can help prevent locate delays by pre-marking your proposed dig
area in white and notifying MISS DIG 811 of your planned excavation with as
much lead time as possible: up to 14
calendar days. |
| To learn more about Consumers Energy’s response to COVID-19, click here. |
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| Safe Hand-Digging
Practices |
You’ve called MISS DIG 811 and all buried utility facilities on your job site have been located and
marked. Now your digging work can begin, right?
Not so fast. In Michigan, before you can use power tools to excavate
within 48 inches of a marked utility facilities' outside dimensions, you must first verify the facilities' exact location and depth by non-intrusive methods such as vacuum excavation or
hand digging. |
| Order a free worker safety training kit on Consumers Energy’s Work Safe website. |
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| Hand-Digging Tips |
| Protect underground utility facilities from damage and protect yourself from injury with
these hand-digging tips: |
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Use a rounded or blunt-edged shovel. Sharp tools, like pickaxes, mattocks, prybars or pointed spades, may gouge or
puncture lines. |
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Start your digging off to the side of the marked utility line. Use a gentle prying motion to break away soil as you approach the utility laterally. |
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Never pry against a utility line to remove soil, and never stab at the soil or
stomp on the shovel with
both feet. |
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| Prevent Muscle Strain and Injury |
| Always wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Don’t twist your torso to move the dirt; move your feet to turn your entire body. Alternate shoveling
between your left and right sides. Take care to prevent muscle strain, and take
breaks to prevent fatigue. |
| Report ALL Damages |
| Even a slight gouge, scrape or dent to a buried utility line could cause a catastrophic break, leak or outage in the future. Protect all exposed utility lines and check them regularly for damage. Before you backfill, check them again. Report any damage to Consumers Energy, so crews can inspect the line and make the necessary repairs. If gas is escaping, warn others, leave the area quickly, and call 911 first and then Consumers Energy. |
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| In an electrical or natural gas emergency, call 911 first and then Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050. |
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