Black Hills honors Boomerang for safe digging

Published by admin on Wed, 08/22/2018 - 8:33am

Late last week, Black Hills Energy thanked and awarded Boomerang for their consistent safe digging habits and always dialing 8-1-1 to locate underground utilities. Boomerang was on site at ORBIS in Monticello to accept the cooler of cold beverages. From left are Boomerang crewmembers James Minor, Clinton Young, Alex Potter, Dave Burkle, and Bryce Ricklefs, as well as Black Hills employees Marv Kelchen and Brian Kearney. (Photo by Kim Brooks)
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Staff report

     On Aug. 10, local representatives from Black Hills Energy awarded Boomerang (formerly Ricklefs Excavating) for their outstanding commitment to safe digging.

     National 811 Day is typically observed each year on Aug. 11. It provides an important reminder about the state law requiring everyone to dial 8-1-1 before digging. Boomerang employees were on site in Monticello on Aug. 10 working on the ORBIS plant expansion project. Black Hills presented the employees with a beverage cooler filled with bottled water and pop.

     811 is a free service that arranges for professionals to mark the location of underground utility lines. If the lines are hit during a construction project, that could create a safety hazard, emergency situation or injury, which may result in fines and interrupted utility services.

     According to Black Hills, every 6 minutes, an underground utility line is damaged because someone did not call 8-1-1. A hit line carries the potential for serious injury and expensive property damage.

     That’s why Black Hills recognized Boomerang for consistently performing safe digging habits.

     No matter the date, Iowa law requires that you call 8-1-1 to have underground utility lines marked before you break ground. That’s true whether you’re a homeowner setting a fencepost or a contractor conducting a large excavation project.

     Visit www.blackhillsenergy.com for more information.

 

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