National Grid Offers a Reminder to Prevent Injuries and Damage to Underground Utilities

WALTHAM, MA (08/07/2012)(readMedia)-- Did you know that excavation projects damage an underground utility line every three minutes in the U.S.? With Aug. 11 almost here, National Grid hopes this date on the calendar, 8/11, will serve as a natural reminder for anyone planning a project that includes digging, boring, trenching or excavating to call 811 to have underground utility lines marked prior to any digging project. In the U.S. during 2011 alone, National Grid recorded more than 1,500 instances of damage to underground equipment by third parties. These "dig-ins" are the leading cause of natural gas leaks.

This year National Grid and nearly 50 other pipeline companies are joining to present a nation wide "811 Day" advertising campaign. Network radio and television ads are scheduled to run on Saturday, August 11th during the 2012 Summer Olympics www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q4jt6yQgR8.

"What may appear to be a simple job can jeopardize public safety if you don't plan ahead and make a call to 811," said, Karen I. Klimas, National Grid's vice president of Safety, Health and Environment. "A single phone call can potentially avert a tragedy. We're hoping this campaign will bring home the importance of that 811 call."

Home improvement jobs, such as planting a tree or digging a hole for a fence post or deck footing can damage underground utility equipment, which might be a few feet underground.

The ads remind the public that a quick phone call to 811 several days before digging connects callers to an operator at a local One Call Center who will provide information on when participating utilities must clearly mark their underground equipment. The call and the service are free of charge. State laws mandate that 811 be called several days in advance of beginning projects that require excavation. Failure to call 811 may be punishable by fines, which in some states can be as high as $1,000 for a first offense and $10,000 for subsequent offenses. But even more important, calling 811 is the right thing to do because it helps keep everyone safe by preventing potentially deadly contact with underground electricity and gas lines.

NATIONAL GRID

National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE:NGG) is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. The company is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges facing our society - to create new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and developing an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century. National Grid holds a vital position at the center of the energy system and it 'joins everything up'.

In the northeast US, we connect more than seven million gas and electric customers to vital energy sources, essential for our modern lifestyles. In Great Britain, we run the gas and electricity systems that our society is built on, delivering gas and electricity across the country.

National Grid delivers electricity to more than 3 million customers in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. It manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation, providing power to over one million LIPA customers. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in northeastern U.S., serving more than 3 million customers in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

For more information please visit our website: www.nationalgridus.com.

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