Staying Safe
Look up, down and all around before you build
Imagine the frustration if the underground electric line serving your home was to fail. Now imagine if the cable fault was located directly under the garage you built last year. Lineworkers would have no easy way to make repairs; your power outage could be lengthy and the cost of restoring service could be painful to your pocketbook.
For reasons of security and safety, all Cooperative meters, line equipment and powerlines must be accessible at all times. Cooperative policy supports this requirement of unobstructed 24/7 access to all facilities. And please remember overhead lines on your property. Is your proposed construction located a safe distance from existing overhead lines?
One call to Diggers Hotline alerts all utility companies with lines on your property. Making this call is the smart thing to do, and it’s the law! Give at least three working days notice before starting construction. You can call Diggers Hotline toll-free at 800-242-8511 or dial 811 anywhere in Wisconsin. There’s no charge and it’s one call that could be a lifesaver!
Perhaps you have already seen employees from Vannguard Utility Partners working in your neighborhood in response to ACEC’s Diggers Hotline alerts. When you call Diggers Hotline, a Vannguard employee will locate existing ACEC lines in the work zone. Please remember that telephone, gas or other utility lines may be located and marked by another utility-locating business. Although not ACEC employees, Vannguard employees do have a valid reason for working on our lines. They will provide personal identification upon request. Should a question arise, the Cooperative will verify the work being done.
Vannguard Utility Partners will also locate customer-owned, private facilities for a fee. To arrange for a private facilities locate, call Vannguard at 608-223-2014.
Idle services (electric services that have not been used for several years) can present safety and liability concerns for ACEC members, employees and property owners. By policy, ACEC reserves the right to temporarily refuse connection of electric service when unsafe conditions are present. The same policy states that ACEC, at its own discretion, may retire (remove) any facilities that have been idle for more than two years as part of normal operating practice.
