ON WARM summer days, gar- ‘dening and: home improve- ments take centre stage in yards across the province, But if you don’t know what's | buried beneath your house, garage or garden, you take a risk every time you work around the yard. By Scott Henley Contributing Writer Consider the case of a Manitoba homeowner who decided to build a tiered flower bed using railway ties. As he drove a steel bar into the ground to hold a railway tie in place, he pierced a gas line. A few hours later. his house blew up. Today a vast network of under- ground pipes and cables. exists in British Columbia to transport a vari- ety of goods and services to homes and businesses throughout the province. Covering over. 80,000 kilometers — which if stretched | “end-to-end would go around the earth “twice — these facilities are out of sight and sometimes out of mind. - > : But an accident which damages _-One of these facilities can have seri- “ous consequences, including loss of ‘life, personal, injury, environmenta! - damage and disruption of essential . services. like telephone or hydro. And an accident can be caused just as easily by someone digging with a Shovel as by a backhoe. “dn'some cases — like that of the :Maititoba homeowner — the risks of a “hit are obvious. In others the “Impact may Not seem so severe: cut- ting’ a: telephone cable might not ‘Uficate’. program ‘aty North Shore Continuing, Education (NSCE) will . be ‘celebrating its second birthday at the end of this year.) ": “The curriculum includes courses _ about’ residential: and commercial “design, color.coordination' and fight- dig, (design. styles of the. past and "present, interior finishes and textiles. drawing and drafting: : The. itopics” on« the’ “slate for * September ‘are: Design: ‘Fundamen- at tals’ Materials “and Interior Finishes, ‘Interior’: Desigir. A: Drawing: _ “The program, was developed to Knowledge “and” design; sary 10 Slarta career or stay ‘competitive in the design-relat- < will also and | Persp votive if seem to be: life-threatening, but what.if someone needed that tele- phone cable to reach 9117 Before you begin a project that requires any digging, minimize your risk of injury by following these steps: * Plan your work. ¢ Call BC One Call at 1-800-474- 6886 before you dig to find out — free of charge — what's buried beneath your site. * Hand expose any facilities. * Use safe work practices, and pro- cedures. The most important of these steps may be to call before you dig. BC One Call is a new non-profit association established to minimize the risk of an accident to buried facilities such as: gas pipelines. telecommunications cables. power- lines, electrical wires and sewer and sanitation, systems. With one call you can find out what is lurking under your ground. BC One Call's member compa- nies will contact you with informa- tion about the. facilities beneath your site. It is your responsibility to contact companies who are. not members of BC One Call. : Provinee-wide use of BC One “Call is made easy by the availability. of one toll-free number as well as free air time on BC Tel Mobility and Cantel's cellular networks (+6886). It's easy to forget that working around the home can be dangerous. . But it's just as important to be care- ful at home as it is at work. So whether you're planning to build a retaining wall, plant a shrub or dig a hole for a swimming pool, remem- ber to call before you dig: You'll protect yourself, your family and - your property and it won’ t cost you a penny. be of interest to those who plan’ to remodel, redecorate or build a home. Call. North Shore Continuing Education at 986-8888 to register for a free . information ~ session Wednesday. Sept. 6.:at 7:30 p.m. or Saturday. Sept. 9. at 10:30 a.m. Or call Edith Saatkamp, program coor- dinator, at 254-6557, tor more infor- -Mation and a course calendar. on: | | SUNDECK ae PATIO AWNINGS by SUNWEST ENJOY YOUR OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE - RAIN OR SHINE - CUSTOM CLOSET ORGANIZERS « Custom built * With or. without drawers ¢ Highest quality materials « installed or Do it yourself ° FREE ESTIMATES Closet organizers not only increase your. Storage - they add value to your home. VISIT OUR SHOWROOM OPEN MON.-SAT. 9-5 i. 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