Contractor Safety
Important safety information for contractors
Electricity and natural gas are delivered through a system of underground utilities. Avista maintains these utilities to ensure public safety, following federal and state regulations. Before you break ground, protect buried utilities by marking them. Remember to click or call 811 at least two business days before you dig—it’s the law.
Additional information and materials can be ordered by emailing publicsafety@avistacorp.com.
Call us at (800) 227-9187 if you have an emergency or any questions.
Natural gas safety tips
Prevent accidents around natural gas lines by following these safety tips to keep properties and clients safe.
- Click or Call 811: Contact 811 at least two full business days before you dig
- Mark lines: Mark your dig area with white paint.
Then:
- Respect the marks: Once utility lines are marked, do not move, or alter the marks until the lines are exposed.
- Use hand tools: When digging within 2 feet of the marked area, only use hand tools to expose the utility line.
- Support gas pipelines: Secure exposed gas pipelines with nylon straps, wood shoring, and ropes to prevent breaks or ruptures.
- Proper backfill: Use sand or rock-free dirt as backfill.
- Stop if you find unmarked lines: Call 811 immediately.
Watch a video: Call Before you Dig.
If you dig into, nick a line, and/or suspect a gas leak, follow these steps:
- Evacuate: Move everyone upwind – away from the area.
- Avoid sparks: Don’t use anything that could cause a spark, like flashlights or lighters.
- Call for help: From a safe distance, call 911 and then Avista at (800) 227-9187.
- Don’t repair: Never try to fix a natural gas line yourself or restrict the gas flow in any manner. Wait for professionals.
- Stay away: Keep away from the area until emergency personnel indicate it's safe to return.
Watch a video: Smell gas? Get out!
Colorless, odorless, and lighter than air, natural gas becomes combustible when mixed with air and exposed to an ignition source. To help you detect a gas leak quickly, we add a sulfur-like, rotten egg stench. Here are a few more signs of a gas leak, along with some preventative steps you can take:
Watch a video: outdoor gas leaks
Watch for these signs
- Blowing or hissing sounds
- Dust blowing from a hole in the ground
- Continuous bubbling in wet or flooded areas
- Dead or discolored vegetation in an otherwise green area
- Pilot lights that won't light but still emit gas
- Highly flammable when mixed with air; ignites easily
- Ignition possible with 4-15% gas-to-air mixture
- Gas fires may emit toxic fumes
- Lighter than air; can migrate into enclosed spaces
- May displace oxygen, causing dizziness or asphyxiation
- Avoid actions that create sparks
- Do NOT start vehicles, switch lights, or use phones
- Evacuate upwind and uphill on foot
- Alert others and keep people away
- Call 911 from a safe distance
- Report to Avista for inspection and repair
- Wait for emergency responders and Avista
- Do NOT close pipeline valves
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, toxic gas. It can be produced when combustion of any fuel—heating oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, kerosene, natural gas, coal, or wood—takes place without sufficient oxygen. You can't see or smell it, so CO can accumulate unnoticed and make you ill or even cause death.
More than 400 people lose their lives to CO-poisoning every year, so learning how to detect gas leaks can be lifesaving. If you suspect a gas leak, make sure everyone leaves the premises immediately, notify us from a safe location, and only reenter after emergency personnel tell you it’s safe to do so.
Watch a video: Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning
The initial symptoms of CO poisoning are like the flu, but without a fever, and include
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
- Confusion
- Blurry or double vision
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Flushed skin color
If you suspect that you or someone is experiencing CO poisoning
- Get to fresh air: Evacuate immediately. You could lose consciousness and die if you don't escape the CO gas.
- Call 911: Then call Avista at (800) 227-9187. Do not reenter until we say it is safe.
- Get medical attention immediately: Inform medical staff that CO poisoning is suspected.
Installing a carbon monoxide detector
These devices monitor CO levels and alert you if the gas reaches dangerous levels.
CO detectors are available at most home retail outlets. Only buy UL-listed models and make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation and operation.
Common sources of carbon monoxide
- Blocked vents or chimney
- Fireplace
- Stove
- Car
- Gas barbecue
- Portable generator
- Furnace
- Water heater
- Dryer
Preventing carbon monoxide poisoning from home appliances
Have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil, wood or coal-burning heaters, barbecues and appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.
When purchasing gas equipment, make sure it carries the seal of a national testing agency, such as Underwriters Laboratories.
Make sure appliances and heating equipment have adequate ventilation, including pool heaters.
Know about shutoff valves
- Modern natural gas appliances: Most new natural gas appliances, except for water heaters, come equipped with electronic ignition and automatic shutoff valves. These features prevent the main burner from activating if the pilot light is not lit.
- Older natural gas appliances: Older appliances and most gas water heaters may have pilot lights that burn continuously and might not include automatic shutoff valves.
What to do If the pilot light goes out
Rest assured; newer appliances will safely shut off automatically.
- If the appliance was recently working and you’re unsure why it stopped. We’ll come check the appliance to make sure everything is safe. Call us at (800) 227-9187.
- If the pilot light was previously turned off for the season or because of a move.
- In Oregon: Schedule a time for us to visit and relight your pilot. Call us at (800) 227-9187.
- In Washington and Idaho: Find a contractor near you to arrange for a field visit by a certified professional.
Note: Avista recommends that you obtain at least 3 bids from qualified service personnel.
Use this color-coded guide to identify utility lines before starting work. For private utilities, click or call 811 and tell them you need a private locate.
| Utility line color coding The color of the paint, stake or other marker indicates what's below: |
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Proposed Excavation | |
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Temporary Survey Markings | |
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Electric | |
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Gas / Oil | |
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Communications / Cable TV | |
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Water | |
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Reclaimed Water | |
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Sewer | |
- Know the length of time locates are valid—this varies by state.
- Washington: 45 days
- Idaho: 28 days
- Oregon: 45 days
- Tolerance zone: There is a 2-foot tolerance zone on either side of the markings, but depths aren't guaranteed. Hand dig in this zone to expose and determine the exact location before you proceed with mechanical equipment.
- Support pipelines: Use secure nylon straps, wood shoring, or ropes to support exposed gas pipelines.
- Backfill: Use sand or rock-free dirt as backfill.
- Unmarked lines: If you find gas or electric lines that haven't been marked, stop working and call the phone number on your locate ticket.
- Building restrictions: Do not build over gas lines. Never build any type of structure over buried utility lines or where it will block access to meters. This is a safety risk and prevents us from performing necessary maintenance.
Watch a video: Call Before You Dig.
When a gas pipe is accidentally installed through a sewer line, it is called a “cross bore.” This can go unnoticed months or even years. It’s usually discovered when clearing a sewer blockage, which can damage the gas pipe and cause a leak.
Be aware of potential hazards and know how to respond if you encounter a gas line during sewer work.
Watch a video: Outdoor Gas Leaks.
Prevention
- Contact 811: Click or call 811 at least two business days before digging to have utility lines marked.
- Use a camera: Check if the sewer line is blocked by a gas pipe, cable, or conduit.
- Ask about recent work: Find out if any gas lines or utilities were recently installed or upgraded.
If you suspect a leak, act quickly and follow these steps:
- Evacuate: Get everyone out immediately and leave doors open.
- Avoid sparks: Don’t use anything that could cause a spark, like flashlights or lighters.
- Call for help: From a safe distance, call 911 and then Avista at (800) 227-9187.
Signs of a gas leak
- Bubbles rising through standing water or toilet bowl
- Strong “rotten egg” odor of natural gas
- Dirt blowing from a hole in the ground
- Hissing or whistling noise
- Dead vegetation in an otherwise green area
General pipeline markers are no substitute for calling 811
Avista’s transmission and major distribution pipelines for natural gas have above ground markers along their routes. These yellow markers include a 24-hour emergency phone number, only indicate the general location of buried natural gas lines and may not actually be located above the pipelines.The absence of markers doesn’t mean there are no pipelines
You are always required to have pipelines located and marked by contacting 811 at least two business days before you dig.
Mapping System
Register at the National Pipeline Mapping System to obtain transmission pipeline maps by county and zip code, including the names of pipeline operators.
Electrical safety tips
Here are some essential electrical safety tips to keep your client's property safe from electrical hazards.
- Locate power lines: Identify power lines before starting your project.
- Maintain distance: Stay at least 10 feet away from power lines when using ladders, antennas, irrigation pipes, or long tools. Increase this distance by 0.4 inches for every 1,000 volts over 50,000.
- Use a spotter: Have someone watch when operating heavy equipment like backhoes or cranes.
- Assume caution: Treat all cables on the ground as live. Don't assume a telephone or cable line on the ground is safe to move. It can be energized from somewhere else. Ask us to shut off service while you work and learn the voltage of a line.
- Avoid power lines: Never handle tree branches tangled in power lines. If you need to prune a tree, maintain a 10-foot distance using ladders or long-handled tools.
- Homeowner responsibility: Homeowners should keep branches clear of power lines in their yards. Use a professional tree trimmer to clear tree branches away from power lines.
Watch a video: Overhead Power Lines
- Stay calm: If your equipment contacts a power line, remain calm.
- Stay in the vehicle: Remain in the vehicle or on the equipment until an Avista representative arrives and determines it's safe to exit.
- Warn others: Keep people away from the area.
- If you must, exit safely: If you must leave before Avista arrives, safely jump as far away from the vehicle or equipment as you can. Land with both feet together and shuffle away from the site. Be sure no part of your body touches the equipment and the ground at the same time. Don’t return to the vehicle until someone from Avista says it’s safe.
- Never attempt to rescue someone else in the same situation: Consider any contact with a power line an emergency situation, and call Avista right away.