The Michigan Public Service Commission today asked Michiganders — from homeowners doing backyard projects to businesses engaging in major construction — to not wait until the last minute to have underground utilities marked by MISS DIG 811.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order allowing construction projects to resume May 7 after being put on hold as part of her Stay Home, Stay Safe efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Construction can resume provided that employers adopt best practices to protect their workers from infection.

With spring weather arriving and homeowners turning to backyard projects, and with companies resuming construction, there’s pent-up demand for location marking for buried utilities including natural gas, telecommunications, electricity, water and sewer lines.

MISS DIG 811, Michigan’s nonprofit statewide underground utility safety notification system, is asking anyone doing big or small projects that involve digging to place calls to 811 or fill out a request online at www.call811.com up to two weeks in advance to make use of the 14-day window allotted under state law.

Anyone excavating is required by law to contact MISS DIG 811 no later than 72 hours in advance so that utilities can be marked by trained workers with spray paint or colored flags.

“If you know you’re going to dig in two weeks, don’t wait until 72 hours beforehand to contact MISS DIG 811,” said Bruce Campbell, CEO of MISS DIG System, Inc. “You can contact us two weeks in advance, which allows facility owners and their locators to be better prepared for increased volume in calls for locating underground utilities.”

Underground utility lines in Michigan are damaged during digging activities every year, causing service disruptions and putting lives and property at risk.

“No matter the size of the project, digging should only be done after a call to 811,” said MPSC Chairman Sally Talberg. “We strongly encourage Michiganders to help us do everything we can do to reduce the chances of people being injured or vital services being interrupted because someone struck underground utility lines.”

For more information go to www.call811.com or see the MPSC’s consumer tip on safe digging.

For information about the MPSC, visit http://www.michigan.gov/mpsc, sign up for one of its listservs, or follow the Commission on Twitter.

Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2020
Media Contact: [email protected]

Governor Whitmer Reopens Auto Dealerships and Retail Businesses by Appointment, Authorizes Nonessential Medical, Dental and Veterinary Procedures

Governor’s order allows gatherings of ten people or less, with social distancing

LANSING, Mich. — Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed executive order 2020-96 to reopen retail businesses and auto dealerships by appointment statewide on Tuesday, May 26, as part of her MI Safe Start plan. The governor’s executive order also lifts the requirement that health care providers delay some nonessential medical, dental, and veterinary procedures statewide beginning on Friday, May 29. And the order authorizes small gatherings of 10 people or less starting immediately, as long as participants practice social distancing.

“The data shows that Michigan is ready to phase in these sectors of our economy, but we must stay vigilant and ensure we’re doing everything we can to protect ourselves and our families from the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Whitmer. “On behalf of our brave first responders on the front lines of this crisis, we must continue to all do our part by staying safer at home. We owe it to them to do what we can to stop the spread of this virus.”

“As businesses continue to reopen, it’s crucial that they adopt strict safety measures to protect their employees, customers, and their families,” said MDHHS Chief Deputy for Health and Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. “I know that as medical professionals begin offering nonessential procedures again, they will do everything in their power to protect patients and their families from COVID-19. I will continue to work with Governor Whitmer and our partners across Michigan to protect our families and lower the chance of a second wave.”

“This is great news for dealerships across the state,” said Doug North, President of North Brothers Ford. “We appreciate the governor’s leadership, and we welcome the opportunity to serve our customers in a way that helps keep everyone safe from the showroom floor to the open road.”

The governor also signed a separate order, Executive Order 2020-97, updating a prior rule on workplace safety. Per the amended order, reopened outpatient health-care facilities, including clinics, primary care physician offices, and dental offices, will have to adopt strict protocols to prevent infection. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs will issue guidance to aid those facilities in adopting appropriate safeguards.

As before, businesses maintaining in-person activities must adopt social distancing practices and other mitigation measures to protect workers. They must, among other things, provide COVID-19 training to workers that covers, at a minimum, workplace infection-control practices, the proper use of PPE, steps workers must take to notify the business or operation of any symptoms of COVID-19 or a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, and how to report unsafe working conditions.

“With today’s announcement, physicians and health care providers in Michigan are ready to resume taking care of patients,” said Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the Michigan State Medical Society. “It is time for patients to catch up on the care that has been deferred for the past two months. We encourage the citizens of Michigan to tend to their health and protect each other by following public health guidance to prevent spread of this virus.”

Consistent with the governor’s previous Safer at Home orders, any individual able to medically tolerate a face covering must wear a covering over his or her nose and mouth—like a homemade mask, scarf, bandana, or handkerchief—when in any enclosed public space. Michiganders who are not working as critical infrastructure workers or at a business that has been authorized to reopen should stay home to protect themselves and their families from the spread of COVID-19.

To view Executive Order 2020-96 and Executive Order 2020-97, click the links below:

• EO 2020-96 Emerg order – MI Safe Start – re-issue.pdf
• EO 2020-97 Emerg order – Workplace safeguards – re-issue.pdf