Promoting safe underground digging practices will help to keep your construction workforce protected and your project on track. Cable strikes can be dangerous, so you must practise safe digging to reduce the risk to your construction team. Not only can cable strikes harm people, but they can be ruinously expensive to projects, causing long-term financial implications. Make sure you are digging safely underground on your site.
What is a Safely Executed Digging Practice?
A safety-first digging practice involves following a system or process designed to reduce the risk of cable strikes by helping to locate underground services before the digging commences.
Plan, Scan, Think
The golden rule before digging underground is “Plan, Scan, Think.” Take your time digging through your plan, as the consequences can be devastating.
Plan Your Work Meticulously
Start by conducting a comprehensive risk assessment to identify potential dangers and hazards. It is best to use a standardised form so that you know that you haven’t missed any checks out. Always request the utility plans of the area you are working in, but remember that plans can be inaccurate. You can use Line search before U Dig for free, instant access to utility plans, but if you have any questions, contact your local electricity network operator.
Scan the Area
Cable locators can be a valuable resource which you should use before digging underground. You may find cables near the marked plan, but they should be elsewhere. Keep using the cable locator as you dig to ensure you know exactly where the wires are. Look for anything that will indicate utilities, such as manhole covers, meter boxes, fuse boxes, electricity pillar boxes and utility indicator markers. Hand-dig a series of trial holes to ensure the utilities are where you think they are.
Think Before You Dig
If you have any concerns, stop. If you think your site manager needs to adequately check, then don’t dig. It is your life on the line. Always assume cables are live; if you uncover any damaged cables, report them immediately. Make sure that your construction site team knows the emergency protocol.
What Are the Safety Precautions For Excavation?
Always follow the Plan, Scan, Think rule before you start excavating. Safety often lies in the preparation before the actual digging commences. The safest way to excavate a site is to use a vacuum excavator, which sucks the earth from around the underground utilities, significantly reducing the risk of cable strikes.
How to Protect Underground Services?
Digging safely protects the construction workforce and utilities. Utilities provide vital services to homes and businesses, and the repercussions of cable strikes can be far-reaching and long-lasting. Good digging practices protect the underground services as well as the people involved. Choosing vacuum excavation will protect both your workforce and the underground services.
Why is Safety Important in Excavation?
An average of 70 people are seriously injured each year due to contact with underground electricity cables. The long-term consequences of these injuries will affect people for their whole lives. Not only the people directly injured will be affected, but their co-workers and colleagues will also be impacted by the event. Projects can be derailed and suffer huge financial losses from cable strikes, which can affect businesses and jobs. All of these risks can be reduced by being aware of the importance of safety during excavation.
What is the Greatest Risk When Excavating?
Excavation is recognised as one of the most dangerous construction jobs. There are various risks with excavation. One of the most common risks is cave-ins and collapses, which can be deadly. One of the other most common risks is cable strikes, with 60,000 accidental strikes occurring each year. The total direct and indirect cost of these accidental strikes is estimated to be £2.4 billion a year. Choosing safer underground excavation processes, such as vacuum excavation, will substantially reduce the risk on your site and protect your construction workforce.
Come to PIER for Safe Vacuum Excavation
If you are planning for your next project or have an emergency, PIER are on hand to help. With our expertise in civil engineering and vacuum excavation, we have the knowledge and dedication to work with you and your site team. Our extensive fleet of vacuum excavators can provide excavation services across the UK. If you want a safer excavation solution for your site, choose vacuum excavation. No matter your project’s size or scale, we will have a vacuum excavator to suit you. Simply contact the team at PIER today on 01925 228 674