NY 811 Visits Long Beach Construction Site to Spread Safety Awareness

August 11 marked “National 811 Day,” a day where New York 811 highlights important construction site rules and safety regulations that keep the public and contractors safe whenever equipment is used for excavation or digging. The leadership of New York 811 reminds the public and contractors that it is important to “know what’s below” the ground before digging and excavating.

This year, representatives from New York 811 traveled to construction sites across Nassau and Suffolk Counties, meeting with construction managers and workers to thank them for partnering with New York 811, embracing safety awareness and promoting safe practices and protocols. The visited sites included Bancker Construction in Valley Stream and Baldwin, LandTek Group’s construction sites at Long Beach High School in Long Beach and JFK Middle School in Bethpage, Asplundh Construction in Islip and Scalamandre Construction in Hauppauge.

“On National 811 Day, we say ‘thank you’ to our partners and members as they play an important role in ensuring safety and residents safe,” said Roger Sampson, Executive Director of New York 811. “Cooperation between service members, utility companies and construction workers allow us to strengthen our relationships which furthers our commitment to safety and awareness.”

“New York 811 provides a critical service for companies like LandTek. They coordinate with utility companies to ensure all the utility line marks outs are done before we start projects. We share New York 811 commitment to safety,” said Mike Ryan, President and Founder of The LandTek Group.

August 11, or 811 Day, is a National Day where 811 representatives from all 50 states collectively come together and spread awareness about safe practices before digging into the ground. Utility companies and contractors must be aware that they need to call 811 before beginning construction to ensure all underground gas, electric, and other service lines are marked prior to starting any digging project.

New York 811, Inc., is a non-profit organization that acts as the communications link between utility companies and contractors, individuals, private excavation companies and other utilities that are planning any digging activity in the five boroughs of New York City and Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. New York 811 provides services and programs that play a critical role in protecting one of the largest populated, congested and complicated underground infrastructures in the nation.

All professional contractors must abide by state law and call 8-1-1 before starting an excavation project, whether it is large or small. This includes general digging for gardening, landscaping, pool installations, any and all construction projects, demolitions and excavations. While not mandated by law, homeowners and property owners are strongly encouraged to call 811 as well to ensure safety regulations are followed. It is important that homeowners know to check the language in contracts with their contractors; contractors are required by law to call 811, not the homeowner.

When contacting New York 811, contractors or residents are automatically connected to a call center where they will share information about their upcoming project. Once called, New York 811 will then contact the utility companies. Utility companies or designated professional marketing companies mark the ground with paint and/or flags to identify underground utility lines.

All calls to New York 811 and services offered to the public are free of charge; there is no fee to have areas marked by utility companies. The team at New York 811 urges individuals and contractors to call at least 2-10 business days before the project begins to ensure all underground lines and pipes are appropriately marked. If unsure about areas being checked or marked, a follow-up call should be made to New York 811 before digging begins.

For further information about National 811 Day, New York 811 or other questions you may have about digging, please visit https://newyork-811.com/.

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About New York 811

Established in 1990, New York 811 is a nonprofit organization that acts as a communications link between utility companies and individuals planning any digging or excavation activity in the five boroughs of New York City and Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. Educating the public, contractors and utility companies about how to safely dig and excavate are the organization’s top priorities. State law requires excavators and contractors using mechanized digging equipment to contact New York 811. New York 811 relays digging and excavation project requests to members of its network who then mark the locations of their lines as required by law. New York 811’s network includes companies that own or operate underground utility lines in our region, including cable television, natural gas, electric, water, sewer and telecommunications companies. New York 811 provides services and programs that play a critical role in protecting one of the largest populated, congested and complicated underground infrastructures in the nation. For more information about New York 811 visit https://newyork-811.com/, call 1-800-524-7603, or email: email@ny811inc.com.