What’s Up Below
Iowa State Fair 2022
“811 Day”
Iowa Cubs Outing 2022
Field of Dreams Game
Fall Digging Projects
In the News
01
05
07
08
11
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Vol. 30. No. 3.
Iowa law requires excavators to preserve the locate markings at all times throughout an excavation.
This is in addition to establishing suitable reference points that will provide the excavator with a
reference to where the underground facilities are located at all times throughout an excavation. The
notion that underground facility operators are responsible for preserving and maintaining the locate
markings is inaccurate. The law is clear about the excavator’s role (and responsibility) in preserving
and maintaining the markings. Per Iowa Code chapter 480.4(4): “An excavator is responsible for
preserving the markings required in subsection 3 at all times during the excavation. If the markings
will be destroyed or otherwise altered during the excavation, the excavator must establish suitable
reference points which will allow the excavator to locate the underground facilities at all times during
the excavation.” Failure by excavators to properly preserve their locate markings can signicantly
impact the workloads of underground facility locators.
The growing demand for underground facility locates means locators must literally compete against
the clock as they strive to complete each day’s new batch of locate tickets. In 2021, excavators
submitted 716,098 notices to Iowa One Call, which generated more than 3.6 million locate ticket
transmissions to Iowa’s underground facility operators. It’s not
unusual during peak season for individual locators to receive
anywhere from dozens to even a hundred tickets at a time.
When locators have to spend time refreshing locate markings
that were not properly preserved or maintained by excavators
they lose valuable time, which exacerbates the ongoing
problem of locating delays.
An example of particular concern is when contractors
routinely “auto-submit” refresh notices on a weekly basis.
This occurs when someone within an organization — or even
individual contractors — make it their policy to automatically
submit refresh notices for all of their current projects each
week without ever attempting to maintain and preserve
their markings, let alone establish reference points. In most
instances, this occurs due to a lack of understanding. Some contractors/excavators believe that
it is the responsibility of the underground facility operators to maintain the locate markings. It was
understood back in 1992 during the legislative process to establish and enact Iowa Code chapter
480 that in order to prevent an overburdening of the locating process, excavators would have to
maintain and preserve their locate markings.
Barring inclement weather conditions or unforeseen incidents at the jobsite, underground facility
markings can be effectively maintained with proper care and caution. The paint used for marking
underground facilities is designed to last longer than most state code requirements. The Iowa Code
states that the paint markings “shall be done in a manner that will last for a minimum of ve working
days on any nonpermanent surface, or a minimum of ten working days on any permanent surface.”
This does not mean that all locate markings need to be refreshed at the end of every ve or ten
days depending on surface type. When properly maintained, the paint will typically last for even
longer periods.
WHAT’S UP
BELOW
MARKING PRESERVATION
AND REASONABLE
BUSINESS PRACTICES
716,098
Total tickets for 2021
Locate ticket
transmissions
to Iowa’s
underground
facility operators
Million
3.6
01
Maintaining the markings means
protecting the markings — this includes
keeping equipment and foot trafc away,
and ensuring construction materials,
debris, backll and other refuse don’t
tamper with the markings. Underground
facility locate markings are an important
and valuable tool that excavators must
rely on for safety and liability purposes.
The maintenance and preservation of
locate markings should be a worksite
priority for all contractors/excavators.
There will be times when locate markings
are unavoidably destroyed due to a
variety of reasons, such as the scale and duration of the excavation, the necessary equipment being
used and disregard for the markings by different companies or subcontractors working at the same
site. This is why it is important – and required by law – that excavators establish suitable reference
points based on the original markings so that they can locate the underground facilities, even if the
markings have been destroyed.
The use of off-set staking is a useful practice for establishing reference points. Using the markings
applied by locators, excavators can establish an area clear of underground facilities and away from
where the excavation will occur to set their off-set stakes. The off-set staking must be uniformly
aligned and accurately placed in conjunction with the location of the original locate markings, and
should be supplemented with descriptive documentation, including scaled and dated photos, videos
and/or other descriptive information/references. An excavator’s proper documentation of the locate
markings, in addition to accurate reference points, is a critical component of the excavation process,
which can help excavators mitigate underground facility damages and avoid unnecessary litigation.
The use of dated pictures, videos and sketches with distance from the markings to xed objects/
reference points, along with other detailed written documentation, will allow excavators to document
the actual placement of the markings. Adequate documentation of the marking before the excavation
begins will make it easier to resolve disputes if an underground facility is damaged as a result of
improper marking, failure to mark or due to markings having been moved, removed, covered or
otherwise destroyed.
Ongoing monitoring of the markings should be performed at regular periods throughout an
excavation, including continued documentation with additional dated pictures and videos. At the
end of an excavation, an excavator should have adequate documentation of the markings before,
during and after the excavation has been completed. This type of documentation can be extremely
benecial for excavators that become involved in disputes or other instances involving damaged
underground facilities. Excavators need to take ownership of their jobsite locate markings, which
have been applied for the excavator’s use. Jobsite markings are the excavator’s tools and should be
respected and cared for as such.
Taken out of context, the aforementioned requirement that excavators preserve the markings at
all times during an excavation may appear as conicting with a different subsection of Iowa Code
chapter 480. Per subsection 480.4(3)(a)(2): “The markings in this subsection shall be done in a
manner that will last for a minimum of ve (5) working days on any nonpermanent surface, or a
minimum of ten (10) working days on any permanent surface. If the excavation will continue for any
period longer than such periods, the operator shall remark the location of underground facility upon
the request of the excavator. The request shall be made through the notication center.” Read in
whole, the purpose of the code is to provide a safe and efcient process that allows excavators and
operators to perform their responsibilities with minimum interruptions. Excavators are required to
preserve the markings and establish suitable reference points, which in turn reduces the need for
unnecessary locates and increases overall system efciency. Operators are required to provide
02
refresh marking as a failsafe when an
excavator’s reasonable attempts to
preserve the markings are unsuccessful, which heightens
safety and damage prevention.
When following the requirements of the law by diligently
protecting and preserving their locate markings, excavators
can signicantly reduce the need for refresh markings.
With fewer unnecessary locate notices to contend with,
locators can give more attention to new notices, and to the refresh notices that are necessary. Proper
planning by excavators is an important part of the equation. Locate notices should be submitted only
when the proposed excavation is imminent or likely to occur within the twenty-calendar-day life of
a notice. If an excavator submits a notice and then the excavation is delayed, the excavator must
preserve the locate markings and establish suitable reference points at the site until the excavation
can begin or until the notice expires, at which time a new notice must be submitted.
The spirit of the law – Iowa Code chapter 480 – and the purpose of the Iowa One Call system is to
advance safety and damage prevention. When properly utilized and adhered to, the system benets
all stakeholders. The collaborative effort by all stakeholders to abide by the rules, regulations and
policies of both the code and notication process is necessary for achieving the intended outcome.
There is no truer statement than “we are all in this together.”
Be prepared. Dig safe.
When following the
requirements of the law by
diligently protecting and
preserving their locate markings,
excavators can signicantly reduce
the need for refresh markings.
IOWA WILD PARTNERSHIP
For the rst time ever, Iowa One Call will be partnering with the Iowa Wild hockey team in Des
Moines this season! The Iowa Wild has their home-opener on Friday, October 14 at the Wells Fargo
Arena. Iowa One Call will have a promotional table at select games throughout the season and will
be handing out promo items to fans. During the
game, you’ll see Iowa One Call advertised heavily
on the digital jumbotron and the scrolling screen
that circles the entire arena.
One Call is now the ofcial sponsor of the Iowa
Wild “ice shovel crew.” The crew will have Iowa
One Call logos and branding on their attire and
shovels for fans to see each time they go out
to clean the ice. This happens several times
throughout games and serves as a natural
reminder to be cautious when using a shovel.
Come out and support the Iowa Wild this season
and stop by the Iowa One Call table — you
may even get the chance to meet Gabby the
Groundhog!
03
www.IAiticnextgen.com
TIPS FOR MAPPING PRECISELY
AND ACCURATELY
1. Use the right tool for
the job – ITIC NextGen
offers a diverse array
of mapping options to
t every scenario.
2. Don’t over-map – ITIC
NextGen builds the locate
request from the mapping.
Over-mapping a work area
can result in wasted time
and resources.
3. Double-check your work
– use the different map
views and/or Google street
view to help ensure you’ve
mapped accurately and
completely.
CHECK OUT THE NEXTGEN ONLINE
TICKETING TUTORIAL HERE!
Another Iowa State Fair in the books! Every year, Iowa One
Call has a booth in the Varied Industries building at the
state fairgrounds. Fairgoers from across the state stop by
the booth and pick up a variety of giveaway items, including
pens, pencils, magnets, brochures, the infamous yardsticks,
fruit-infuser water bottles, tattoos and more. If you stopped
by at the right time, Iowa One Call’s mascot, Gabby the
Groundhog, was at the booth making friends and snapping
photos with fairgoers!
IOWA STATE FAIR 2022
The Iowa State Fair is one of the largest and most
recognized fairs in the entire country, garnering
over 100,000 attendees each day. Iowa One Call
greatly values the opportunity to connect with
a massive audience and educate Iowans from
across the state about the importance of digging
safely. See you next year at the Iowa State Fair!
05
Cassandra from Des Moines recently won the Iowa
One Call KCCI contest. She took home a custom-made
game room light xture and a 90-quart Igloo cooler.
Congratulations Cassandra!
IOWA ONE CALL –
KCCI CONTEST WINNER
06
“811 DAY”
“811 Day” (August 11) is celebrated nationwide each year
to promote safe digging and serve as a reminder to call
811 or click at iowaonecall.com before you dig. As part of
this year’s 811 Day celebration, Governor Kim Reynolds
made an appearance at the Iowa One Call state fair booth
to sign a proclamation ofcially declaring August 11 as “811
Day” in the state of Iowa. Iowa One Call is appreciative
that Governor Reynolds took time out her busy schedule
to show her commitment to damage prevention and safe
digging, alongside Chairman Geri Huser of the Iowa
Utilities Board (IUB), Iowa One Call President Tom Sailer,
Assistant Attorney General Jake Larson and Common
Ground Iowa (CGI) Vice Chairman Jeremy Feldmann.
Contacting 811 before digging is the easiest way to avoid
costly – and potentially deadly – damages to buried
utilities. For every project, every time, click or call 811 48
hours in advance to have underground utilities marked.
Stay safe!
07
IOWA CUBS OUTING 2022
Batter up! Iowa One Call hosted another I-Cubs (AAA) baseball outing at
Principal Park this year, and it made for a great evening at the ballpark.
Iowa One Call served as the primary sponsor of the Friday, August 12
game, which included many advertising opportunities to “takeover” the
ballpark. The Iowa One Call table was front
and center at the main gate entrance to
Principal Park. As the gates opened and
fans ooded in, the overwhelming majority
of them made a stop at the table to grab
t-shirts, stress ball baseballs, pens, pencils
and other promo items. It’s safe to say
the inventory was very much depleted by
the time the game even started. Getting
promotional items into the hands of Iowa
homeowners is ideal, especially the
hundreds of Iowa One Call t-shirts that were given away that serve as
literal walking reminders to click or call 811 for the public eye.
In addition to the promotional table, Iowa One Call had its mascot,
Gabby the Groundhog, in attendance. Lucky for Gabby, there were 10
other mascots at the game to celebrate Cubby’s birthday! In addition to
hanging out on the eld with other mascots and throwing out the rst
Ben Booth, Iowa One Call’s PR & Communications Manager,
with Alex Cohen, the voice of the I-Cubs
08
pitch, Gabby the Groundhog took photos with kids and families throughout
the game and helped spread awareness about safe digging.
A live in-game radio interview was conducted between Iowa One Call’s PR
& Communications Manager Ben Booth and the voice of the I-Cubs, Alex
Cohen. The duo talked about why it’s important to contact Iowa One Call
before digging, what types of digging projects may constitute a notice before
digging, such as planting a tree or bush, building a patio or installing a fence.
The two had some good laughs that they shared with fans who listened to
the in-game broadcast.
Another exciting part of this game was that the 811 Bike and Trike were
displayed right outside the main gate entrance — allowing fans to stop by
and check out the vehicles. Some also snapped some great pictures!
The Iowa One Call board members were treated to a skybox to enjoy the
game, which turned out to be an exciting one, packed with homeruns and
even a grand slam! To top off the great evening, there was a terric reworks
display that lit up the sky above the park.
Overall, the I-Cubs outings are always a
great way to promote Iowa One Call to
homeowners and stay engaged with the
community.
09
FREE to download in
the App store (Apple) and
Google Play (Android)
Search “safe excavator” or
“safeexcavator” and look for
the orange shovel
e National Excavator Initiative (NEI) is a rst of its
kind damage prevention campaign seeking to increase
awareness of the vast amount of underground infrastructure that
exists including utilities, pipelines and cables as well
as the importance of 811 and safe digging steps.
NEI aims to provide meaningful information and helpful resources related
to damage prevention and safety that not only captures the attention of
excavators but all stakeholders involved in the damage prevention process,
as well as the general public.
Lindsay Sander • 713.208.0273 • 1011 San Jacinto, Suite 411 • Austin, Texas 78701
www.safeexc avator.com
Lindsay Sander • 713.208.0273 • 1011 San Jacinto, Suite 411 • Austin, Texas 78701
www.safeexcavator.com
THE NATIONAL EXCAVATOR
INITIATIVE FEATURING
Background: For more than a decade, underground damage prevention
outreach eorts have conveyed the “Call Before You Dig” message. While
contacting 811 remains the most important way excavators can ensure safety
for themselves and others, prevent damage to underground facilities and avoid
unnecessary nancial costs, it is only the rst step in excavation safety.
Collectively, this has led to the next phase in excavator outreach — a collaborative
approach to excavation education and improved damage prevention.
Opportunity: This campaign will feature videos with acclaimed television
personality Mike Rowe, known by many as the voice of America’s skilled trade
workforce. Not only is Mike nationally recognized for his television work hosting
Dirty Jobs, narrating the Deadliest Catch, and his new Facebook web series, Returning the Favor,
but according to Forbes, he is consistently ranked as one of the most trusted celebrities in America.
t Outlines state-specic requirements for excavation in an easy-to-
understand format. A link to the complete state law is also available.
t Connects electronically to make a locate request: If you’re planning to
dig, you must call 811 or submit an electronic locate request to have
underground facilities marked beforehand.
t Identies 811 call center(s) and local enforcement agencies
t Lists resources: Providing emergency and general contact information for
supporting operators.
t Includes safe digging tips + checklist
Materials To Be
Released In 2018:
t 12 videos including
u Three (3) short videos
of 2-3 minutes
in length
u Six (6) PSAs – three
(3) :30 PSAs that are
also cut down into
three (3) :15 PSAs
tState-specicbrochures
t www.safeexcavator.com
website
t SafeExcavator App
Materials:
Introducing the
SAFE EXCAVATOR APP:
State laws
pertaining to
excavation (or
digging) vary,
and nding
the specic
information
you’re looking
for quickly can
be a challenge.
It’s a FREE download from the Apple App store or Google Play.
Search “safe excavator” or “safeexcavator” – look for the orange shovel.
The National Excavator Initiative is an effort to raise the awareness of a critically important program: 811.
Contacting 811 before digging is the single most critical action an excavator can take to help ensure their health and
safety are protected, while at the same time preventing nancial harm and environmental impact.
INTRODUCING THE
Safe Excavator App
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In partnership with Common Ground Alliance (CGA) and other state one call centers and utility
companies, Iowa One Call was thrilled to be a sponsor of the iconic Field of Dreams baseball game.
For those that may be unaware, the Field of Dreams is a baseball eld and tourist attraction built
in Dyersville, Iowa, for the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams.” In 2021, Major League Baseball (MLB)
hosted its rst ever regular season game at the Field of Dreams eld, and the game drew the largest
regular-season baseball audience on any network since 2005, according to Sports Media Watch.
This year, a conglomerate sponsorship effort of utility companies, CGA and state one call centers
— including Iowa One Call — gave us the opportunity to advertise the “811” logo to a national
audience at the Field of Dreams Minor League Baseball (MiLB) game on August 9, 2022. The “811”
imagery was featured throughout the Field of Dreams ballpark, including prominent locations on the
third baseline and behind Homeplate — the most visible spot in a ballpark for television viewers.
The game featured two of Iowa’s very own Minor
League Baseball teams — the Cedar Rapids
Kernels versus the Quad City River Bandits.
The sponsorship included digital graphics that
were promoted on the Iowa One Call social media
channels and a “digital takeover” on August 11
(known as “811 Day”) that displayed the “811”
digital ads on each MiLB team’s website.
FIELD OF DREAMS GAME
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Iowa One Call was thrilled to be a part of the iconic Field of Dreams game
and have the opportunity to bring awareness to the importance of calling
“811” to a national audience. Between the August 11 MiLB media takeover
and national television audience, the estimated impressions were predicted
to be around a minimum of 3.8 million people. It was also great to support an
event in our own backyard — the great state of Iowa.
An Iowa One Call board member, Brian Mueller, attended
the MiLB Field of Dreams game with his family and
claimed it was a perfect evening. He also snapped some
photos of the “811” displays throughout the game.
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FALL DIGGING PROJECTS
Autumn is a great time to tackle home improvement and landscaping projects. In fact, fall is
considered the best time to do landscaping because your plants will have time to prepare for a
productive growing season in the spring while the plants get comfortable and develop their roots in
the fall, according to hightechlandscapes.com.
Whether you are looking at planting a tree, bush, shrub or simply putting in landscaping edging
— a notice to Iowa One Call is required by law before disturbing the earth. Iowa Code chapter
480 (the “Iowa One Call law”) states that a notice must be given at least 48 hours prior to the
commencement of the excavation, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. So, if you
plan to begin digging on the weekend, you’ll want to have a ticket led no later than Wednesday to
account for the required 48-hour notice. To be considerate of possible locating delays, adding an
extra day or two of leeway time can help ensure that locate markings are in place before digging.
There are two ways to le a ticket in Iowa: you can go online to iowaonecall.com and le a ticket
via the online ticketing system or call 811 to be connected to a live customer service representative.
Whichever method you decide on, it’s an entirely free system to use.
Here are some general tips that may be helpful when ling a dig ticket before you tackle
those projects:
• Filing a ticket online at iowaonecall.com is considered to be the most efcient and simple way
to convey precisely where your excavation is going to occur on your property. This will help the
utility operator/locator understand exactly where the digging is going to occur and determine
which (if any) underground utilities are
present.
• If you decide you’d like to call 811 to
le your ticket, wait until the automated
message is over to be connected to a live
customer service representative.
• When ling a ticket, try to be as precise
and descriptive as possible. For example,
you could state that you are “planting a
tree on the southwest side of backyard.”
This simple description can help the
utility operators/locators determine that
there are in fact no existing underground
utilities in this area, meaning you can
begin digging before the required 48-hour
timeframe, opposed to having to wait for
the utility operators/locators mark your
entire property.
DIG SAFELY!
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www.IOWAONECALL.com
This newsletter is published by Iowa One Call, Administrative Ofce, 9001 Hickman Road, Suite 220, Des Moines, Iowa 50322.
Copyright © 2022 Iowa One Call. All rights reserved. These materials may not be reproduced without permission of Iowa One Call.
Disclaimer: This publication is designed to provide general information in regard to the subject matter covered and should not be
used as a substitute for professional service, advice or actual wording of regulations or standards in specic situations. The reader is
cautioned that the publisher does not endorse or recommend specic Manufacturers, industry standards or practices and
reliance should not be placed upon the information within this publication without conrming independent research.
In the
News
10 Reasons Why Fall Is the Perfect Time for Planting Your
Garden
www.bhg.com
Fall garden chores often involve getting your garden ready for winter and raking up fallen
leaves. But you’ll miss a perfect planting opportunity if you’re only focused on leaf-removal.
Cool temperatures, along with several other benets, make autumn an ideal time to add
new plants to your landscape, divide overgrown perennials, and in some regions, plant a
veggie garden for fall and winter harvest. Plus, all those fallen leaves make excellent mulch
for all your newly planted trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs... [Learn More]
Local Excavation and
Safety News From
Around the Web
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