| HOPE
JOINS BC ONE CALL SYSTEM
August 30, 1996
The District of Hope has joined BC ONE CALL, a province-wide organization
providing one toll-free number to call before digging.
BC ONE CALL makes it easy to identify what's buried beneath a site
anywhere in the province and reduces the risk of accidentally hitting
a buried pipe or cable. "It provides an additional safety measure
for the citizens of Hope," says Mayor Bud Gardner. "BC ONE CALL is
a way to prevent accidents before they happen."
An accident which damages one of the many buried facilities in BC
can have serious consequences. Between 1991 - 95, more than 137,000
work days were lost and more than 3,800 disability claims were accepted
by the Workers' Compensation Board due to accidents involving pipes
and electric cables. In addition, environmental damage can result
from accidents with pipelines transporting petroleum products or natural
gas, and essential services can be disrupted when electrical or telecommunications
lines are cut.
The BC ONE CALL system not only reduces risk of personal injury or
property damage but it saves money according to Peter Markwick, Chairman
of BC ONE CALL and Manager of Plant Maintenance for Telus. "There
is an economic as well as a human benefit to reducing accidents which
damage buried facilities, because the cost of the damage is the responsibility
of the party which causes the accident."
Users of BC ONE CALL include anyone who disturbs the ground in British
Columbia such as; equipment operators, contractors, home builders,
developers, landscapers, and the railways as well as federal, provincial
and municipal departments. Homeowners, farmers and ranchers also make
use of the service.
There is no charge to use BC ONE CALL. Call toll free 1-800-474-6886
or cellular *6886 using free air time, and supply BC ONE CALL with
details of the planned excavation. BC ONE CALL alerts the member companies
with buried facilities in the area, and the members call you to advise
of the whereabouts of their buried facilities.
Industry groups who endorse BC ONE CALL include the International
Union of Operating Engineers (Local 115), the BC Construction Association,
the Lower Mainland Equipment Operators Association, the Public Works
Association of BC and the National Energy Board.
BC ONE CALL was initiated by seven companies which own and operate
buried facilities in British Columbia. The founding members of BC
ONE CALL are Telus, Centra Gas, Westcoast Energy, Rogers Cable, Pacific
Coast Energy, Pacific Northern Gas and Trans Mountain Pipe Line. The
buried facilities of these seven companies stretch over 30,000 kilometers
across the province. |
