Governor Jim Doyle announced that May 15-21 will be Diggers Hotline Week throughout the state of Wisconsin. This is the 17th consecutive year the governor of Wisconsin has made such a declaration.
"The annual designation is important to our goal of keeping safety first in the minds of professionals and homeowners," said Chad Krueger, Diggers Hotline's Public Relations Coordinator.
Diggers Hotline, Wisconsin's one-call notification center, coordinates activities between property owners, excavators, and utilities such as phone, cable, gas, water, and electric. Diggers Hotline is an independent, not-for-profit organization, providing its free service for anyone planning on doing work below the surface of the ground, including homeowners and professional excavators.
Each year, representatives from Diggers Hotline participate in over 50 safety meetings for professional excavators and several other activities aimed at homeowners around the state to stress the importance of safety and utilizing Diggers Hotline's free services.
Wisconsin Statute 182.0175 requires all excavators - including homeowners and construction contractors - to call Diggers Hotline at least three working days before starting the work involved. Diggers Hotline processed about 700,000 incoming requests and made 3.2 million notifications to state facility owners in 2004. Over 1,000 facility owners are currently members of Diggers Hotline.
Diggers Hotline is Wisconsin's one-call center. Anyone in the state who is digging, excavating or disturbing the soil is required by law to contact Diggers Hotline at least three working days before beginning work.