New 811 outreach takes safety message directly to farm workers
LOS ANGELES—Pacific Gas & Electric is already planning its next round of summer presentations that will deliver the 811 “Call Before You Dig” message directly to farm workers throughout California. The farm program, which launched last year, has become an important part of the utility’s multicultural outreach, offering critical safety information to some of the people who need it most.
“Typically, 811 information is not part of the education provided to employees in the field,” Steve Cleaver, damage prevention awareness specialist for PG&E, told American Gas. “Often, workers are given very basic information about potential utilities they might encounter, but employers are not requiring their crews to call 811 themselves. And even though California has a law that provides guidance for safe excavation, that’s not information that typically gets pushed out to employees.”
The direct-to-farm-worker program—which, in California, typically involves communicating in Spanish—was a natural expansion of PG&E’s multicultural outreach, according to Evelyn Escalera, communications representative for PG&E’s multicultural communications team. “We have been working with community-based organizations to do multicultural outreach since 2015,” she told us. “But last year the topic of work crews came up. Groups were going to farm workers to educate them directly about various topics. We thought it would be a good idea to partner with them regarding safety.”
The PG&E team started by focusing on some of the top dig-in areas in the state, locations where education might have the greatest impact. It then partnered with local radio stations to raise awareness of the one-day events. “The station would hold a contest, encouraging work crews to call in and sign up for a free lunch and a PG&E safety presentation. Once about 10 crews would sign up, the station would choose one,” Escalera explained. “We would then go out on-site, talk about 811, and hand out pamphlets and other information that they could take home. The radio stations also would partner with a local restaurant to supply lunch for everyone.”
The utility held six such events in 2018, focusing on the Central Valley, Stockton, Modesto, Fresno and Bakersfield. More than 300 workers attended in total.
The events have been well received. “At most of the events, only a handful of people knew about 811 prior to the workshop,” Escalera said. “At the end of the day, all of the attendees were very appreciative of us coming out to provide this information. They said they’d never had this kind of presentation before.”
Cleaver believes PG&E’s 811 message is likely to spread far beyond the initial crews in attendance, leading to an overall improvement in both safety awareness and, hopefully, safe practices. “The farm worker hearing the 811 message in the field today may join a construction crew tomorrow—or start doing some maintenance work at home or pick up a side construction job,” he pointed out. “Their knowledge will carry over to wherever they go. That means they’re going to be able to improve excavation and utility safety beyond just the agricultural world. What Evelyn and her team are doing has a much wider audience than you might think.”