Utility Locating (811 / Blue Stakes)

Trenching & Excavation — from the Anvil & Co. course library. What you will learn: • Call 811 before digging; in Utah this is Blue Stakes. • Read APWA color marks and respect the tolerance zone. Key points: • Call or file online with 811 before you dig. In Utah, Blue Stakes of Utah 811 generally requires notice at least 48 hours before excavating (excluding weekends and holidays) — confirm current rules at bluestakes.org. • Colors: red electric, yellow gas/oil, orange communications, blue water, green sewer, purple reclaimed water, white proposed excavation, pink survey. • Hand-dig or vacuum-excavate within the tolerance zone around marks (commonly 24 inches each side of the utility's outside edge; check state law). • OSHA 1926.651(b) requires estimating utility locations before opening an excavation and protecting exposed lines. Scenario: Marks are faded and a yellow flag is missing where you plan to dig. What do you do?