Calling 911 from a Jobsite

New subdivisions, highway projects, pipelines and wind farms often have no street address. When someone is hurt, minutes spent explaining where you are can cost a life. Know how to give your location before you need it.

• All workers
• Supervisors

Know your location

• The site address, or the nearest address and cross streets
• The gate or entrance emergency vehicles should use
• GPS coordinates (most phones show them in the compass or map app)
• Highway name, direction of travel and nearest mile marker or exit
• Building, floor and area on large sites
• Landmarks the dispatcher would recognize

Post this information at the site trailer, gate and every work area, and go over it at orientation. See Site Orientation.

What to tell the dispatcher

1. Your location (as exactly as you can)
2. What happened, and how many people are hurt
3. Their condition: awake? breathing? bleeding?
4. Hazards responders need to know: power lines, trench, confined space, chemicals, fire
5. Your call-back number

Stay on the line and follow the dispatcher’s instructions. Don’t hang up until they tell you to.

Help them find you

• Send someone to the gate or road to meet and guide the ambulance.
• Open gates and clear a path for emergency vehicles.
• At night, turn on vehicle lights or use a flashlight to signal.

Weak or no signal

• Know where on site you can get a signal, and whether you have a radio or satellite messenger for remote work.
• Many areas accept text-to-911; it may get through when calls won’t. Call if you can.
• Phones can usually call 911 on any carrier’s network, even without your own service.
• See Working Alone.

Last updated: October 2, 2026