REGINA – Whether you’re digging a basement or just preparing to build a fence in your yard, there’s a risk of rupturing an underground gas or power line.
Reg Welsh is one of two Sask 1st Call safety patrols in Saskatchewan trying to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Most of the day’s stops are Regina’s Harbour Landing – a hotbed of home construction and one of the city’s fastest growing neighbourhoods.
The first site visit is a follow-up of sorts.
“I stopped the other day and saw some guys digging garage pads and (they) didn’t have gas lines marked out,” Welsh said to the contractors on site. “I told them they have to have it marked before they did (the work).”
This time everything checks out, so Welsh just passes along a few safety pamphlets.
“It’s just a matter of driving and snooping,” Welsh told Global News during a ride-along. “Some days you get lots of stops and other days, it’s kind of quiet.”
Sask 1st Call was launched as a pilot project earlier this year. Patrols work from May, when shovels first hit the ground, through October, which is the final rush to complete ground work before winter.
Often it’s homeowners who forget to call before they dig.
“Then some of them take a chance, and those are the ones that get themselves into trouble,” said Welsh.
Trouble means repair bills for a line hit. Residential repairs this year have ranged from $800 to as high as $6,000.
The much larger deterrent is the potential for injury. Welsh passes that message along at his second stop.
“We just want to make sure you guys work safe and have a great day,” he told the contractors.
At a site nearby, excavation crews are preparing for utility lines to be installed, and often work closely with active gas and electrical lines.
“Everybody goes home at night here, that’s an important part of the job,” said Tony Leuschen, a Wappel Construction foreman. “Nobody goes home hurt.”
At another patrol, a backhoe operator shares a tale of when marking underground lines may not have been top of mind.
“When I knew it was there and they’re not marking it, there’s something not right,” he said to Welsh.
SaskEnergy numbers show gas line hits are down 31 per cent since the program started. That’s 35 fewer ruptures with the potential for harm.
“It’s much more serious because it could be loss of life as well,” Welsh said.
If you want to locate an underground line on your property, you can visit Sask1stCall.com
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