WHAT IS BC 1 CALL?

BC 1 Call is the link between the excavating community and the owners of underground facilities who are our members.

What is BC 1 Call?

BC 1 Call is a founding member of the Before You Dig Partners, which also includes Alberta One Call, Manitoba Common Ground Alliance Inc. and Sask 1st Call.

The partnership was formed to cost-effectively bring to Western Canada industry-leading GIS-based software to power our respective operations. When you request a locate with us, your request will be submitted through the Before You Dig Partner Portal.

How our service works

The contractor or homeowner starts the process with a free ticket submission to BC 1 Call. The process ends with the contractor or homeowner being told where any underground utilities are buried on his or her site.

The contractor or homeowner submits a ticket for free with BC 1 Call, providing the location of the excavation project.

BC 1 Call uses a mapping system to locate the dig site, allowing us to identify the owners of the many different buried pipes, cables, conduits belonging to BC 1 Call members that are on and around the excavator’s dig site.

BC 1 Call then sends the ticket with the identified location details to each of the members who have buried infrastructure at or near the site.

Each member then goes to their detailed plans of the site area to locate the position of any buried services they may own on the site. Members who have facilities in the area will either physically locate their services or provide a dimensional site plan showing the location of their underground facilities. Those members whose services are at a safe distance and pose no threat to life or property will give clearance to proceed with the excavation.

The contractor or homeowner now checks and confirms the location of buried facilities on the worksite and can dig well away from them or can implement safe digging practices such as hand digging to expose the buried facilities before using any mechanical dig equipment.

The people involved

gaslinetrenchdigging

Users

Users are contractors or homeowners who plan to dig into the ground in British Columbia as part of a construction project, fence installation, or tree-planting project. Typical users include equipment operators, contractors, homebuilders, developers, landscapers, homeowners, engineering consultants, and the railways as well as federal, provincial and municipal departments.

ContructionWorkCity_Unsplash

Members

BC 1 Call members include local and regional governments, irrigation and water districts, First Nations, oil and gas companies, and communications and energy providers, as well as many other private facility owners. 

BC 1 Call members are the owners of underground facilities buried in all parts of British Columbia. Members join BC 1 Call because they want to ensure no person is hurt and no property is damaged as a result of someone digging into their underground pipes and cables.

rawpixel_handphonelaptop

Staff + Board

Meet the people behind BC 1 Call.