Yard Work Season is Here - What's Underneath Your Grass?

• ShareThis Email PDF Print

We can't stress enough the importance of calling 8-1-1 and what it means to you and your family's safety

Madison, Wis. (Vocus) May 23, 2007

Doing some simple landscaping or yard work can be a relatively enjoyable time when the weather is nice. Underneath that sod and soil in your yard are more than just roots, dirt, and insects. There are cables and high-voltage wires that could cause serious injury or even death if they are pierced by a shovel or backhoe. Fortunately there's a new tool you can use to make sure this Memorial Day's yard work projects go on without a hitch.

According to the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), there are nearly 700,000 unintentional digging related accidents each year in the United States. An 8-1-1 number has been created this year to help simplify contacting appropriate utilities who dispatch workers to the requested site to mark the approximate location of underground lines.

"We can't stress enough the importance of calling 8-1-1 and what it means to you and your family's safety," said Kevin Hess, senior vice-president of Government and Regulatory Affairs for TDS Telecom. "Take the time to find out where major utility lines are on your property."

Hess said using the new 8-1-1 Diggers Hotline can even save you money. "Simple digging jobs such as planting trees or shrubs can damage utility lines, disrupt vital services to entire neighborhoods, and result in expensive fines and repair costs."

According to a CGA study, 46-percent of Americans are "active diggers" who have done or plan to do a digging project at home; yet only 33-percent of "do-it-yourselfers" plan on calling before they dig. "Which means a lot of people are taking an enormous risk each time they put a shovel into the ground," said Hess. Nationwide, dangerous assumptions about the location of underground utility lines, which are buried at various depths below the ground, lead to more than one accidental hit per minute.

More information can be found by logging on to the 8-1-1 Call Before You Dig Web site at http://www.Call811.com .

TDS Telecom, a growing national company headquartered in Madison, Wis., brings high-quality, locally based telecommunications services to hundreds of rural and suburban communities across the United States. The company, along with its subsidiary TDS Metrocom, provides service for more than 1.2 million access line equivalents. Visit http://www.tdstelecom.com for more information.

TDS Telecom is part of the Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (AMEX: TDS) family of companies. TDS is a diversified telecommunications corporation founded in 1969. Through its strategic business units, U.S. Cellular (AMEX: USM) and TDS Telecom, TDS operates primarily by providing wireless and local telecommunications service. The company currently employs approximately 11,600 people and serves approximately 6.4 million customers in 36 states.

For more information contact:
Michael Ogden
Associate Manager-Public Relations
media.tdstelecom.com
608-664-4126

Please click on link to download photo.
http://www.tdstelecom.com/absolutenews/articlefiles/464-77162.pdf

# # #

Share: