The Importance of Colors of Underground Utility Lines
Underground utilities can easily be identified today. Before, it was difficult to do so and people were at risk if they try to make a dig without being able to identify all the lines underneath the land. Today, the risks have been lessened although not completely eliminated. In order to prevent harm, it is important to know or identify these utility lines if your need to dig the ground. Before digging through a certain piece of land, the OSHA requires that the underground utilities be located. You dont want something disastrous to occur. If you hit any of the underground utility lines while digging then you can be fatally injured. Services in the area where the lines are located can experience interruption. Before digging their property, people should call 811 to call the utility companies so that these incidents are prevented. When the number is called, you can let the utility companies come out and mark their respective lines.
Marking lines may lessen the risks but there are time when accidents still happen. The reality is that there is an incident almost every 6 minutes where utility line are struck. When this happens, it affects traffic lights, wastewater pipes, telecommunication lines and more. This is then something that affects public health and safety.
With the use of GPR or Ground Penetrating Radar, companies can locate utility lines. When locating utility lines underground, this machine makes it easy to do so. However, for the ordinary homeowner, it is enough to simply call 811 to be able to let companies located their lines.
It is easier to identify underground utility lines today because they now use different colors for each utility. Here are the colors used for different utilities.
Proposed excavation sites use white lines. Area that will be excavated in the future are marked.
Temporary survey markings use pink lines. Legal property boundaries are marked off by these pink lines.
If you see red lines, then you can be sure that these are electric power lines, cable, conduit, and lighting cables. This color is appropriate for electrical works since it is associated with fire and danger.
Lines for gas, oil, steam, petroleum, and gaseous materials use the color yellow. Bright yellow is an appropriate warning color since it is very disastrous to have a natural gas leak.
Orange lines are used for communication, alarm, signal lines, cable or conduit. Blue lines are used for potable water. If you see purple lines, that this is for reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines. If you see the color green, then it indicates sewer and drain lines. Hitting this line can truly derail any project for a long period of time.
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