August 11, or 8/11, serves as a reminder to everyone of the importance of the 811 "Call Before You Dig" message.  A recent report released by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the leading association dedicated to protecting underground utility lines and the safety of the people who dig near them, indicated an underground utility line is damaged during digging projects once every three minutes in the United States. That same report found that 34 percent of underground utility lines are damaged because the free 811 phone call was never made, resulting in more than 60,000 unintentional hits annually.

Excavation safety is first and foremost a safety concern, and striking a buried utility line can have serious, even fatal, safety consequences. One free call to 811 can help protect excavators as well as save contractors and their customers time and money. Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811. Installing a mailbox, building a deck and planting a tree are all examples of digging projects that need a call to 811 before starting. When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to their local one-call center, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of their intent to dig. Professional locators are then sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, spray paint, or both. The depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surfaces. Even when digging only a few inches, the risk of striking an underground utility line still exists.

AGC and its stakeholder partners within the Common Ground Alliance have been on the forefront of promoting the Call 811 campaign and its message of excavation safety and underground damage prevention. AGC will continue to set the bar high for all involved in this effort.

For more information about 811 or your one-call center, click here.

For more information, contact Scott Berry at (703) 837-5321 or berrys@agc.org.

John Igel (George J. Igel & Company, Columbus, Ohio) talks with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Rep. Kilroy.

AGC member company George J. Igel & Company participated in an event with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Representative Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio) in Columbus. During the event, Igel employees expressed concern over what would happen when stimulus money runs out. Secretary LaHood and Rep. Kilroy agreed that a six-year transportation bill would be a logical sequel to the stimulus.

Watch the local NBC affiliate's coverage here or read coverage from the Columbus Dispatch.

For more information, contact Brian Turmail at (703) 837-5310 or turmailb@agc.org.

AGC's analysis of federal data released Friday showed that construction unemployment reached 17.3 percent, with 11,000 more construction workers losing their jobs in July. AGC urged Congress and the administration to act now to pass a host of long-delayed infrastructure bills to finance new highway, transit, water and utility projects.

Continuing the push for long-term infrastructure funding, AGC member company George J. Igel & Company participated in an event with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Representative Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio) in Columbus. During the event, Igel employees expressed concern over what would happen when stimulus money runs out. Secretary LaHood and Rep. Kilroy agreed that a six-year transportation bill would be a logical sequel to the stimulus.

Watch the local NBC affiliate's coverage here.  Read AGC's press release on construction unemployment here, or read coverage from the New Haven Register, Michigan Live and Finance and Commerce.

Total construction spending eked out a small rise in June as gains in stimulus-aided public categories offset decreases in homebuilding and private nonresidential spending, AGC said Monday in an analysis of new Census Bureau data.  AGC called on Congress and the White House to quickly enact legislation to provide long-term funding for public infrastructure spending and certainty for private construction.

"Stimulus dollars are supporting construction jobs, but the pain is continuing for most contractors and their workers who depend on private projects or school construction," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist.

Read the press release here.