1. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council REQUESTING PERMITS Excavator Responsibilities (Contractual and Municipal) A permit is required for any excavation in the public way. Dig numbers are no longer given during permit issuance. Dig numbers for work in the public way require a permit. Excavators are required to have the permit on the job site. Any excavation within the city limits requires a dig number. Dig numbers must be requested by calling the DIGGER office. Each excavator must request their own dig number.

2. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER Call Center Protocol Excavator Responsibilities (Contractual and Municipal) Provide notice not less than 48 hours (exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays) but no more than 14 calendar days in advance of the start of the excavation or demolition. Must mark/outline the proposed area of excavation with safety white paint. Honor all time/marking requirements and dig in a reasonable and prudent manner, taking all reasonable and required precautions to avoid underground facilities.

3. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER Call Center Protocol Excavator Responsibilities It is the Excavator’s responsibility to request refreshing of marks when needed, but no more than 28 calendar days after the last requested date. The loss of markings will require that you call DIGGER for a refresh. A refresh requires a 48 hour wait. Faxing locate request directly to a utility company for markings/locates is PROHIBITED All locate request must be processed through DIGGER.

4. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council Excavator Responsibilities Visually survey excavation area to be sure everything is located Respect marks and hand dig within 18” tolerance zone Completely expose all facilities before you cross it Use “chipping in”, potholing techniques, hydraulic hand tools or vacuum excavation for difficult soil conditions Know your permit/dig number and extent of the dig and work within (It is a “Best Practice” to carry a copy of the Dig Ticket) Don’t rely on facility depth Locating is not an exact science marks are only an approximate location of the facility DIGGER Call Center Protocol

5. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER Call Center Protocol Dig Site Notification Procedures What should I do? If you experience any of the following unforeseen issues at your Dig site:- Utility no-shows (no contact) - Incomplete utility markings - Require refresh/remarking of facilities - Unidentifiable facilities during excavation - Excavation damage to an underground facility Notify DIGGER at (312) 744-7000

6. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER Call Center Protocol Dig Site Notification Procedures REMEMBER If you cause damage to an underground facility, you must notify DIGGER and immediately notify the owner of the damaged facility. If you damage a gas line – immediately call 911 For a list of utility contacts, see WWW.GCDPC.ORG

7. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER Call Center Protocol Dig Site Notification Procedures When calling DIGGER for any unforeseen issues at your Dig site, please be prepared to give the operator the following information: - Your Permit Number (required for all work in the Public Way) - Your Dig Ticket Number - Your agency name and address - Contact persons name, phone & fax number - Site location (address where excavation or demolition has taken place)

8. Work Area Markings Mandatory Refresh Ticket Extensions Protection of Markings Joint Meets Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER Call Center Protocol

9. Work Area Markings When applicable, all excavation areas are to be clearly marked in safety white paint prior to calling DIGGER. White paint is not required for joint meets or emergency work. Black paint can be used when snow is present. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER Call Center Protocol

10. Protection of Markings - Mandatory Refresh It is the Excavator’s responsibility to maintain the marks. If the marks are destroyed or removed, the excavator must request a refresh by calling DIGGER. The excavator must wait 48 hours prior to digging excluding weekends and holidays. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER Call Center Protocol

11. Protection of Markings - Ticket Extensions A dig ticket expires 28 calendar days from the original request date. If the excavation is going to extend beyond 28 days, the excavator is responsible for extending the dig ticket. The request must be made prior to 26 calendar days from the last request date. An extension is a request to refresh marks unless otherwise noted by the excavator. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER Call Center Protocol

12. Joint Meets Joint Meet Tickets automatically become a Dig Ticket 48 hours after the time of the Joint Meet. The Excavator will be required to immediately alert DIGGER if a representative from a facility owner fails to attend the Joint Meet or notify the excavator. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER Call Center Protocol

13. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER E-Mail Request

14. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER E-Mail Request E-Mail requests for Dig Notices must be accepted by DIGGER at least 48 hours before digging can begin, as mandated by Illinois Law. Requests will be processed during regular business hours Monday - Friday between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm excluding holidays.

15. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council DIGGER E-Mail Request To submit DIGGER EMAIL REQUEST www.cityofchicago.org/transportation Click on the DIGGER Logo

16. Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council MARKING STANDARDS WHITE- Proposed excavation area RED- Electric/BOE YELLOW- Gas, oil, petroleum ORANGE - Communications/CATV BLUE- Water GREEN- Sewer PURPLE- Reclaimed Water BLACK- Proposed Excavation Area Now Approved for Winter

17. DIGGER Highlights Dig number required for ALL excavation Must call 48 hrs prior to normal excavation 2 hrs for emergency Must wait full 48/2 hrs on request Must call 2 nd request if locates not completed. 2 nd request requires an additional 2 hr wait or until locates are completed Must begin work within 14 days Hand dig within 18” tolerance zone Ticket life is 28 days Excavator responsible for calling in refreshes or extensions Extension can only be requested prior to the 26 th day of the ticket Positive responses will be faxed or can be obtained by calling DIGGER Direct at (312) 742-9070 Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council

18. DIGGER Chicago Utility Alert Network Greater Chicago Damage Prevention Council