PPL Electric Utilities has joined forces with the Pennsylvania One Call System and Home Depot in an effort to help prevent injuries and property damage caused by accidental contact with underground electric cables.

"For several years, we have had a program to inform contractors, municipal workers and do-it-yourselfers about the dangers of digging around buried electric cables," said Robert S. Gombos, vice president for Field Services at PPL Electric Utilities.

In the past two years, about 2,700 contractors, facility owners and excavators have attended PPL Electric Utilities, Pennsylvania One Call and Occupational Safety and Health Administration presentations about digging safely.

Now, PPL Electric Utilities has joined several utilities and pipeline companies in sponsoring a Pennsylvania One Call program to provide free safety information through Home Depot stores across the state.

The information will be displayed near digging tools and products that require digging for installation. In addition, Home Depot will affix a safety decal to rental excavation equipment and post counter-top safety displays at Contractor Pro and Equipment Rental desks.

"With a minimal investment in this program, we will be able to reach thousands of consumers," Gombos said. "Our sponsorship of this program is consistent with our interest in helping people dig safely and preventing needless injuries and power outages caused by accidental contact with underground cables."

Pennsylvania One Call provides a toll-free phone number – 1-800-242-1776. State law requires anyone doing excavation work to call Pennsylvania One Call at least three working days in advance.

The call generates a request to utilities to mark the location of their underground wires and pipes in the area where the digging will occur. PPL Electric Utilities does not charge customers or excavators for marking the location of underground electric cables.

"Our employees did about 148,000 cable locations in 2002. This represents a significant effort to promote public safety and prevent outages," Gombos said.

"Thanks to our education program, the work of our employees responding to requests to mark underground cable locations and our coordination with Pennsylvania One Call, we had only 138 dig-ins by excavators last year. We're confident this new partnership will result in even greater safety improvements," he added.

PPL Electric Utilities, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), provides electric delivery service to 1.3 million homes and businesses in 29 counties of eastern and central Pennsylvania. PPL Electric Utilities has about 5,700 miles of underground electric cable in its service area.