As April unfolds, the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA) and its members will gear-up to promote safe digging practices province wide.
With the arrival of spring, it’s crucial for homeowners and contractors to remember to call or click before digging to prevent accidents and safeguard underground infrastructure.
In Northumberland County, Warden Brian Ostrander has officially designated April as ‘Dig Safe Month,’ with the following proclamation:
“Whereas annual damages to Ontario’s underground infrastructure caused by excavation events number in excess of 4,500 per year; and
Whereas these events cause negative impacts to the Ontario public and our province’s economy; and
Whereas the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA), formed in 2003, whose purpose is to enhance public safety and utility infrastructure reliability through a unified approach to effective and efficient damage prevention, consists of some 500 members dedicated to this purpose, including Ontario1Call; and
Whereas the Canadian Common Ground Alliance (CCGA) and the ORCGA have worked collaboratively to produce the ‘Underground Infrastructure Damage Prevention – Best Practices’ handbook to assist in reducing infrastructure damage associated with excavations; and
Whereas the ORCGA annually promotes many educational events across its thirteen (13) Geographic Councils which cover all of Ontario, including the Dig Safe Kick-Offs in April and ‘April is Dig Safe Month’, to raise awareness of the importance of proper excavation practices;
Now Therefore Be It Resolved That I, Warden Brian Ostrander, on behalf of Northumberland County Council, do hereby proclaim April 1-30, 2024 to be ‘Dig Safe Month’ in Northumberland County.”
Throughout the month, local campaigns will be in full swing, spreading awareness about safe digging practices and encouraging responsible excavation habits.
(Written by Joseph Goden)
