Dig Safe in Bermuda

 

If someone else is digging or drilling on your property, be aware that you may own some of the utility lines and other underground facilities on your property. You are responsible for marking their location. This includes lines such as those running from private wells to homes and home septic lines.

 

IF YOU HIT A LINE

  • If you damage, dislocate or disturb an underground utility line, immediately notify the affected utility.
  • If damage creates safety concerns, call the fire department and take immediate steps to safeguard health and property.
  • Any time an underground line is damaged or disturbed, or if lines are improperly marked, call the utility involved.

 

IF YOU DON’T CALL, HERE’S WHAT CAN HAPPEN

  • Personal injury, including loss of life
  • Damage to utility lines such as telephone, cable, electric, gas, pipelines, sewer, traffic signals and water lines
  • Costly delays
  • Expensive repairs
  • Legal issues
  • Whether you are a contractor, excavator, underground utility operator, property owner, or just planning to dig with mechanical tools, please do your part!
  • Pre-Mark the location of your
  • Call ALL UTILITY COMPANIES i.e. Bermuda Waterworks Limited, Bermuda Electric Light Company (BELCO), Bermuda Telephone Company (BTC), CableVision Bermuda, Works & Engineering – Water Department, and the Corporation of Hamilton (if trenching in the City
  • Wait for utilities to be marked
  • Respect all marks
  • Dig with care
  • Even when precautions are taken accidents can still happen. If a line is hit or even scratched, please call the underground utility operator.

 

COLOUR CODE

For marking underground utility lines:

  • RED – ELECTRIC
  • YELLOW – CABLE
  • BLUE – WATER
  • GREEN – SEWER
  • PINK – TELEPHONE
  • WHITE – PROPOSED EXCAVATION

 

CALL BEFORE YOU DIG

Safe digging starts when you call all Utility Companies. That call is the first step in a safety process that requires everyone’s cooperation, responsiveness and good judgment.

You must call the utilities for any digging project – large or small – during which you will disturb the earth in any way using a mechanical method. A mechanical method includes any equipment or tool powered by a motor. Such activities are called “excavating” and include all kinds of ground penetrating activities such as:

  • Installing mailboxes or clothes lines
  • Planting trees or shrubs
  • Rebuilding walls or driveways
  • Major landscaping projects or building additions
  • Installing sewer lines, septic systems or drains
  • Road construction or reconstruction

 

Throughout the Island, careless digging and drilling cause far-reaching consequences – from personal injury and environmental damage to costly delays and disruptions of utility service. By working together, we can make digging in Bermuda safe for everyone.

 

IF YOU ARE EXCAVATING

  • Pre-Mark the boundaries of your proposed excavation with white paint, flags or stakes. Add the excavators name in the pre-mark so locators know they are at the right site. If using a single stake to pre-mark, note the radius of the proposed dig on the pre-mark.
  • Contact Bermuda Waterworks Limited at least Three business days – but no more than 3o calendar days – before starting work. Don’t assume someone else will make the call.
  • Have all important information about the location ready. The parish, street/road, location description, extent and type of work, contact person and phone number and the excavator/company name and phone number.
  • For emergency excavation, pre-mark and call all utility companies immediately.
  • Don’t guess! Call all utility companies even if you are working on private property and think you know where utilities are located.
  • Wait 3 business days for lines to be located and marked with colour-coded paint, flags or stakes. Note the colour of the marks and the type of utilities they indicate.
  • If the utility companies confirm that there are no utilities in the work area, you may start work immediately.
  • Dig with care. Always hand dig within 18 inches in any direction of any underground line until the line is exposed. Mechanical methods may be used for initial site penetration, such as removal of pavement or rock.
  • If you find unmarked utilities, immediately notify the utility owner. Treat them as “live” until the owner visits the site and identifies them as abandoned. Do not backfill over unmarked or damaged lines without permission from the utility owner.

 

IF YOU ARE A PROPERTY OWNER

Yes! You are responsible for safe digging, even for “backyard” projects or landscaping.