In a recent National Safe digging Month omnibus survey, conducted March 21-25, 2012, by the national association Common Ground Alliance (CGA), 650 homeowners were asked to answer a series of questions about "do-it-yourself" (DIY) home & property improvement projects.
Below please find the results of this survey and what they mean for public safety & utility service. We still have a lot of work to do to get the "Call Before You Dig" message out!
Around 4 in 10 homeowners (39%) plan to dig on their property this year for an outdoor home or property improvement project.
Among homeowners who plan to dig this year, nearly half (45%) WILL NOT contact their local one-call utility notification center by making a free call to 811 to learn the approximate location of their underground utility lines, putting their safety and the safety of their community at risk.
Two-thirds of homeowners (67 percent) believe that they would not hit an unmarked underground utility line and cause a service outage at their own home or a neighbor's home, despite the fact that an underground line is damaged every three minutes nationwide, according to CGA data.
Male homeowners are more likely than their female counterparts to believe that no negative consequences would come from digging on their property without knowing the approximate location of nearby underground utility lines.
49% of male homeowners thought they would not hit an unmarked line while digging, compared to 38% of female homeowners
Nearly half of homeowners who plan to dig this year (45%) follow NASCAR, meaning they watched a race on TV or in person within the past year.
AJ Almindinger, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Penzoil Dodge on the NASCAR Sprint Cup, sported the 811 logo on his car at the April 1 (Martinsdale) race, as he will be doing at the April 14 (Texas) and April 28 (Richmond) races during National Safe Digging Month, as well as the August 12th race (Watkins Glen) this summer and the final race of the year at Homestead (November 18).
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