“Is the area marked in white?” On the phone or online, we’ll ask. Why do we ask, you ask? Traditionally a white flag represents surrender. In the excavating community though, it means proposed (or planned) excavation. Paint, flags, ribbon, and stakes are commonly used to provide a visual explanation of where underground utilities are located. […]
BUILDING A CLOCK
I was at a flea market over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Besides the usual used tools, velvet paintings of Elvis and other such treasures, one gentleman was selling a box of tiny parts. When I enquired, he said they used to be a clock. Some assembly required, apparently. That got me thinking about the […]
WHY ARE ALL THOSE FLAGS IN THE GROUND?
Let’s say you’re a homeowner, and you come back to the house one day after work and find a line of little colored flags or spray paint marching through your yard. What happened while you were away? Utility work is going to be done and someone called 811 to get underground lines located Captain Jack […]
Spring has Sprung! Dig Safe with 811!
“Now is the winter of our discontent…” so said Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later to be King Richard III (but not for long) in Shakespeare’s play Richard III. Workplace safety really wasn’t his speciality. If ever there was a man in need of underground utility locating services to hide his misdeeds, it was Richard III. […]
I CAN’T CALL 811 – OH, YES, YOU CAN!!!!
There’s a word that we don’t like very much at Texas811, and it really bites into our mission of underground damage prevention and workplace safety. It’s the word “can’t.” As in: I can’t call 811, I don’t have time to wait for a utility locator. I can’t call 811, it’s not my job. I can’t […]
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, CALL 811, AND DIG TESS
The clouds finally cleared in Dallas for a day, and sitting out in the backyard at night you could see stars and a shining moon. You can see even more in the night skies if you know where to look, just like in underground damage prevention. A dead give away is the presence of underground […]
DAMAGE PREVENTION 2018 STYLE
The annual Texas811 Damage Prevention Summit is in the books for 2018 and everyone is off to a great start for workplace safety, working with underground utility locating services, doing the call 811 before you dig dance, and just taking a big role in damage prevention in Texas! Last year we processed something on the […]
FANTASTIC BEASTS, MERCAPTAN, AND RODEOS
Over the weekend I finally watched the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It’s by Harry Potter author JK Rowling, and as you might expect is full of, well, Fantastic Beasts and other things magical. If you haven’t seen it, and without giving away the plot, it seems that 1926 New York City […]
THE WINNING CALL
Super Bowl 50 is history – and it belongs to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Almost all of the pre-game hype focused on Manning. At the age of 39, he was the oldest quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl. He had 199 career wins, tied with retired quarterback Brett Favre. And the lingering […]
CAST YOUR VOTE FOR SAFETY
I know it seems they’ve been on the speaking stump forever, but tonight, February 1, is when – to quote an old ad campaign – the rubber meets the road. Iowans will be caucusing in what’s expected to be record numbers; upwards of 200,000 are expected to make their presidential nominee preference known. Casting a […]