08/11/2009
John Deere is a sponsor of National 811 Day in the U.S., Aug. 11, which is a day set aside by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) to promote homeowner, farmer and contractor awareness of underground utilities through the use of the nation-wide 811 call-before-you-dig phone number.
The FCC-designated 811 number was launched in 2007 by the CGA to eliminate the confusion of multiple call-before-you-dig numbers that were being used across the country. As a result, homeowners, farmers and contractors can call one number to have crews mark a requested site for underground lines prior to any excavation.
A lack of knowledge by the public about the importance of having utility lines marked before digging can result in injury or death, damages to underground infrastructure and utility service disruptions to thousands of people at a time. Equipment and business owners can also suffer from fines and repair costs.
National 811 Day is not the first time the CGA has partnered with John Deere. The company helped spread the word when the 811 number was first established in 2007 and has also supported the “National Safe Digging Month” awareness campaign that occurs every April.
For More: Common Ground Alliance