Georgia 811 urges homeowners to ‘Call Before You Dig’ a crucial role in preventing accidents for Safe Digging Month

ALBANY, Ga. – April is Safe Digging Month across the country. And, here in Georgia, we met with one man whose trying to spread the word about safe digging with the help of 811.

We met with Cliff Meidl… A former Olympian who suffered a horrible accident working a jackhammer earlier in his life.

“I was operating a jackhammer, and I ended up jackhammering into this concrete area where I struck three power lines where each one had 4160 volts. So, I received severe electrical burns, and typically the thing about electrical burns is it has a tendency to burn from the inside of the body, to the outside. So, I suffered about 15 percent of my body was burned,” said Cliff Meidl, GA 811 Spokesperson.

And, that accident put a lot of things in perspective for him as he wanted to help advocate for safe digging in Georgia.

“I was involved in a construction accident when I was a young man, and I nearly lost my life. And, now I think it’s very important to be able to go out there and promote the message and promote the importance of going out there and being able to dig safely,” said Meidl.

When it comes to digging of any kind, even on your own property, cliff tells us that you need to call 811 to get approval.

“So, one of the things to keep in mind is, no matter what the size of the project you’re doing, when you’re a homeowner or a contractor, you need to make the contact to Georgia 811 three days (in advance). For example: if you’re going to put some roses or some shrubs in; maybe even putting in a mailbox or a fence, you need to make that contact,” said Meidl.

And, Cliff tells us that not only will people be protected by reaching out to 811, but local infrastructure won’t be destroyed as well.

“Statistically, if we can get people to make that contact, and when they do make contact with Georgia 811, we can reduce any chances of hitting any infrastructure below the ground to under 1%. But, if you don’t make that call, there’s over a 15% chance you’re going to damage underground infrastructure,” said Meidl.

Cliff also tells us that above all else to not immediately start digging before contacting 811, as it could keep you out of the hospital.

For more information about Safe Digging Month and “Call Before You Dig” campaign you can visit Georgia 811’s website: Safe Digging Month | Georgia 811

Homeowners may contact Georgia 811 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (excluding holidays) at 811 or 1-800-282-7411.

Brian Roche reporting.

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