General Safety Tips

Stay Safe - Call Before You Dig: Safe digging is everyone’s responsibility. It’s a free service to notify SC811 of your planned excavation to help prevent damages that may result in fines, utility service interruption and injury – even death. Please see the information below that details how to excavate safely.

SC811 Quick Links

5 Steps to Safe Digging

Step 1

Request a locate. Visit sc811.com or call 811 to request for your lines to be marked.

Step 2

Wait the required amount of time. For normal notice tickets, you must wait three full business days, not including the day you requested your locate.

Step 3

Check positive response (call 811 or 888-721-7877) to ensure that all the lines at your dig site have been marked.

Step 4

Respect the marks. Keep your marks in tact and call for a re-mark if the marks are destroyed by weather or other construction related activity.

Step 5

Dig carefully around buried utilities.

Identifying a CPW Employee

Occasionally, CPW may send employees or authorized contractors to your home to perform meter work or some other service. Please be reminded of the following safety tips to protect yourself and your family.

Safety Tips

If you ever question whether the person is a legitimate representative of CPW, ask to see their CPW employee identification badge, and contact us to verify their identity and reason for the visit.

 

Always ask for identification.

 

In some instances, representatives from private companies may be working in your area on behalf of CPW. If they do not have an official identification card, ask for their name and reason for their visit, then contact CPW to verify the information.

 

Do not let anyone into your home unless you have verified his/her identity or you have scheduled the visit through CPW in advance.

 

Call police immediately if you believe the person is an imposter.

 

CPW does not sell products and services door-to-door.

Work Zone Safety

During operation and maintenance of a utility system, workers are often required to enter traffic areas to repair or replace utilities. This creates a work zone, which is an area where work takes place and may involve a lane closure, a detour, and moving equipment.  Work zones have become increasingly dangerous places for both workers and drivers.  Approximately 40,000 people per year are injured as result of motor vehicle collisions in work zones.  Please observe the following tips from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and visit their site at scdps.sc.gov for more information.

When approaching a work zone, watch for signs, cones, barrels, large vehicles, and workers. Work zone signs have orange backgrounds and black letters or symbols. Always reduce your speed in a work zone, even if there are no workers. The narrower lanes and rough pavement can create hazardous conditions. If you endanger a highway worker you may be fined and have points assessed against your driving record.

As a driver in a work zone, you should:

  • Reduce your speed, increase your following distance, watch the traffic around you, and be prepared to stop.
  • Use extreme caution when driving through a work zone at night whether workers are present or not.
  • Adjust your lane position to allow space for workers and construction vehicles.
  • Observe the posted work zone signs until you see “End Road Work.”
  • Expect delays, plan for them, and leave earlier to reach your destination.
  • When possible, use alternate routes and avoid work zones.

Work Zone Signs

These are generally diamond- or rectangular-shaped and orange with black letters or symbols. These construction, maintenance, or emergency operation signs alert you to work zones ahead and warn you that people are working on or near the roadway. These warnings include workers ahead, a reduced speed zone, detours, slow-moving construction equipment, and poor or suddenly changing road surfaces.

In work zones, traffic may be controlled by a person with a sign or flag to tell you which direction to travel or to slow down or stop. You must follow their instructions.

Barriers such as drums, cones, and tubes (panels), are used to keep traffic out of hazardous work zones. Along with signs and road markings, they help guide you safely through a work zone. Barriers may be used to keep drivers from entering closed roads or other areas where it is dangerous to drive. Temporary traffic signals may be used in work zones. You may see a warning sign showing a symbol of a traffic signal. Stop at the white line, if it is present.

Give construction workers a “brake.” Reduce your speed in work zones and be prepared to stop suddenly. Do not tailgate in work zones. If you endanger a highway worker you may be fined and have points assessed against your driving record.