Before You Call

Please review the information below to gain an understanding about the types of questions that you will be asked when you call in a locate request.  Homeowners and excavators are asked different questions so please choose the appropriate set of questions.

Questions that Homeowners Should Be Prepared to Answer

 

PHONE NUMBER:  “What is your telephone number beginning with area code?”  

 

We ask for this information because it may be necessary for the facility operator or locator to call you back for more information.  Please give us the best number at which to contact you.  We will ask for alternate contact information later in the call.

 

CALLER:  “What is your name?”

 

The name of the person who actually completes the locate request is recorded for future reference.

ALTERNATE CONTACT NAME:  “Do you have an alternate contact or cell phone number?” 

We live and work in a highly mobile society, so it is necessary to obtain a second contact person or phone number in case the caller is not available at the primary number given.  Please provide a number at which it will be easy to reach you in the event you are not available at the primary contact number.

ROAD RIGHT OF WAY: “Will you be working in the road right-of-way area?” 

The road right-of-way is loosely defined as an area between the front property line of a lot, crossing the boulevard and street to the front property line of opposite property.  Some facility operators take different action if the digging is being done in the road right of way.

DURATION:  "How many days will the digging take to do?” 

The answer to this question needs only to be an estimate.  Your best guess of how long it will take to do the digging is all that is required.

TYPE OF WORK:  “What type of work will you be doing?” 

We’re looking for specific information about what kind of digging will take place.  Here are some examples: 

• Digging post holes for a deck.
• Planting shrubs. 
• Dig post hole for flagpole.
• Trench in electric line to garage.
• Landscaping.”

COUNTY:  “What county is the work taking place in?” 

We need to be able to find the location of your work on a map in order to notify the utilities.  Determining what County you will be digging in is the first step in this process.   

CITY/PLACE: “What city/township is the work being done in?”

This information is used to help us determine the location where the work will take place.  Knowing the City, Town or Village name will help point us to the correct area on our maps.

ADDRESS:  “What is the address where the work is being done?”  

STREET:  “What street will the work take place on?”

NEAREST INTERSECTION:  “What is the nearest intersecting or cross street at either end of the block?”

Facility operators need to know where to send the locators to mark the area where you will be digging.  If you do not have a 911 address where the work will be done (i.e. route and box number, fire number, no address due to new construction, etc.) we will ask you the following questions:

• What road are you digging on?
• What side of the road (compass direction)?
• How far and in what direction this location is from the nearest intersecting street?

LOCATION OF WORK:  “Where will you be digging?” 

Please describe where on the property the work will take place.  While it is important to adequately “cover” the entire area where you will be digging, it is not necessary to be unduly precise.  For example, if you were planting a tree in your front yard, it would be sufficient to mark the location where the tree is to go with white paint or a white stake and then indicate that the locaters should “Mark the area between the house and the road at the white stake.”  Or, if you know you will be doing more extensive work throughout the same area, it would be best to say “Mark the entire area between the house and the road.”

Marking an area with white paint is always helpful to the locaters.  It gives them a very clear idea of where your digging will take place and saves them time from marking where you might not be working at all.

 

Questions that Excavators Should Be Prepared to Answer

 

PHONE OR CALLER ID:  If you haven’t entered a Caller ID number when prompted to do so when you call GSOC, the Customer Service Representative (CSR) who answers your call will ask “What is your caller ID number?”  If you have never called GSOC before, you won’t have a Caller ID number, so the CSR will create one for you at that time.  If you do have one but have lost it, the CSR will ask you “What is your telephone number beginning with area code?”   They will then be able to retrieve your stored information including your Caller ID Number.

 

The CSR will ask all of the following questions if they must create a Caller ID number for you.  From time to time, we will verify some of this information with you, depending on how long it has been since your last call to GSOC.

 

CALLER NAME:  Both first and last name are requested.   

 

COMPANY NAME:

ADDRESS FIELD:  We retain mailing addresses for occasional informational mailings from GSOC.

EMAIL ADDRESS:  Your email address is used by GSOC to send out occasional informational broadcasts to excavators.

ALT. CONTACT NAME:  Please provide the name and number of someone else who can answer questions about your job in the event you cannot be reached at the phone number you have provided.  If you are the only person available, please give the CSR an alternate phone number, such as a cell phone or pager number, where you can be reached.

FAX NUMBER:  Your Fax number serves as a way of allowing GSOC to send you important information broadcasts. 

Once the CSR has taken or verified your contact information, they will ask you a series of questions about the kind of digging you will be doing and where it is located.

EXPLOSIVES: “Will you be using any explosives?”  Gas operators are required to monitor a work site where explosives have been used.  Your answer to this question helps them know when to act.

TUNNELING/HORIZONTAL BORING:“Will you be doing any tunneling or horizontal boring?”  Many facility operators will take additional steps when directional drilling operations are indicated. 

ROAD RIGHT OF WAY: “Will you be working in the road right-of-way area?”  The road right-of-way is loosely defined as an area between the front property line of a lot, crossing the boulevard and street to the front property line of opposite property.  Some facility operators take different action if the digging is being done in the road right of way.

DURATION:  "How long will the digging take to do?” 

The answer to this question needs only to be an estimate.  Your best guess of how long it will take to do the digging is all that is required.

TYPE OF WORK:  “What type of work will you be doing?” 

We’re looking for specific information about what kind of digging will take place.  Here are some examples: 

• Replace catch basin.
• Install sprinkler system. 
• Bury gas main.
• Place drain tile.
• Install invisible fence.

WORK BEING DONE FOR: “Who is the work being done for?” 

This information is retained in the GSOC database for later analysis.

COUNTY:  “What county is the work taking place in?” 

We need to be able to find the location of your job site on a map in order to notify the utilities.  Determining what County you will be digging in is the first step in this process.        

       

CITY/PLACE: “What city/township is the work being done in?”

This information is used to help us determine the location where the work will take place.  Knowing the City, Town or Village name will help point us to the correct area on our maps.

ADDRESS:  “What is the address where the work is being done?”  

STREET:  “What street will the work take place on?”

NEAREST INTERSECTION:  “What is the nearest intersecting or cross street at either end of the block?”

Facility operators need to know where to send the locators to mark the area where you will be digging.  If your work site does have a 911 address (i.e. route and box number, fire number, no address due to new construction, etc.) we will ask you the following questions:

• What is the name of the road are you digging alongside of?
• What side of the road (compass direction) will you dig on?
• How far and in what direction is this location is from the nearest intersecting street?

LOCATION OF WORK:  “Where will you be digging?”  If an address is not provided, the CSR will ask you for driving directions to the work site.

Please describe where on the property the work will take place.  While it is important to adequately “cover” the entire area where you will be digging, it is not necessary to be unduly precise.  For example, if you are landscaping in a homeowner’s front yard, it would be sufficient to mark the location where the work is being done with white paint or a white stakes and then indicate that the locaters should “Mark the area between the house and the road at the white stake.”  Or, if you know you will be doing more extensive work throughout the same area, it would be best to say “Mark the entire area between the house and the road.”

Marking an area with white paint is always helpful to the locaters.  It gives them a very clear idea of where your digging will take place and saves them time from marking where you might not be working at all.

TOWNSHIP RANGE AND SECTION/MAP PAGE AND GRID:  “Do you have the Township, Range and Section or Map, Page and Grid coordinates for this job site?”

This information helps us find your location of work on our maps if the job site is in a newly developed area.