Remember To Dig Safely This Summer: 6 Steps To Safe Digging

As warmer weather increases outdoor activities, summer becomes a critical time to focus on safe digging practices. Proper utility locating techniques are essential to prevent damage to underground utilities, ensure public safety, and avoid costly disruptions.

The key steps for safe digging include:

• Contacting utility locating services
• Planning your project carefully
• Using proper digging techniques
• Practicing safe excavation practices
• Monitoring the digging process
• Conducting a post-dig inspection and cleanup

This blog outlines these six key steps for best practices from planning to project completion to ensure that your summer digging projects are safe, legal, and efficient.

6 Steps To Safe Digging

Underground utilities, like electrical lines, gas pipes, and water conduits, are vital in daily life. They also include telecommunications cables. They provide essential services to homes and businesses. These utilities are often buried just beneath the surface and can be easily damaged by excavation work.

Damaging these utility lines can lead to severe consequences, including gas leaks, power outages, and serious injuries. The risks go beyond immediate physical dangers. They also include legal liabilities and financial penalties for those who caused the damage.

Step #1: Know What’s Below

Always start a digging project with utility locating. This reduces the risk of accidentally hitting them.

• Contacting Utility Locating Services Before You Dig: It’s crucial to contact a utility locating service before you start digging. They will mark the underground utilities at your site, helping to protect public utilities and people from damage.
• Role of Utility Locating Services: These services are key to safe digging. They provide maps and mark the ground where utilities are so you can avoid them when planning your project.
• Process for Requesting Utility Locates: Contact a utility locating company a few days before digging to locate utilities. They will arrange for professionals to come and mark the utilities at your site with flags or paint.
• Understanding Utility Markings: Utility markings use paint or flags in different colors. Each color represents a different type of underground utility. Red marks electric power lines, yellow indicates gas, oil, or steam, and blue is for water. Other colors represent different utilities. Understanding these markings is crucial to avoid causing damage during your project​.

Step #2: Plan Your Digging Project Carefully

• Mapping Out the Area: Before any excavation begins, it’s crucial to map out the area to locate all underground facilities thoroughly. Various tools and resources are available for this purpose. For instance;
  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can provide detailed maps of underground utilities.
  • Service plans from utility providers give an overview of known infrastructure.
  • Potholing for utilities confirms the presence and depth of underground utilities. It uses safe techniques like vacuum excavation to create small test holes. This provides direct access.
• Identifying Potential Hazards: Understanding the landscape and potential hazards is key to preventing accidents. Assessing the site for natural obstacles, previous utility works, and environmental conditions that could affect digging is important. Recognizing these hazards early on ensures that all necessary precautions are taken to mitigate risks​.

Step #3: Use Proper Digging Techniques

• It’s important to pick the right tools for digging to stay safe and work efficiently. Use hand tools like shovels and spades for small projects. For bigger projects, you might need machines like excavators. Always select tools that fit the size and complexity of your project to avoid damaging underground utilities.
• Use techniques such as soft digging, potholing for utilities, or vacuum excavation to safely navigate marked utilities. These methods are safer than traditional digging. Always dig around the markings, not directly on them. This helps prevent hitting utility lines that may be just below the surface.
• During excavation, keep a safe distance from marked utilities. The exact distance can vary based on local regulations and the type of utility involved. However, as a general rule, keeping a buffer zone helps prevent accidental contact with utility lines. This can help avoid potential injuries and service disruptions.

Step #4: Practice Safe Excavation Practices

• Contact your utility locating service before you dig. This is crucial, even if you have already contacted them. This repeated check ensures that all underground utilities have been marked properly and that there have been no changes in the infrastructure since the initial markings. Regularly talking to the utility locating services can prevent many common digging errors. This helps keep the project and everyone safe.
• Following local and national excavation guidelines is a legal requirement and a best practice for safe digging. These regulations often specify the methods and tools that should be used, as well as safety measures to protect workers and the public. Understanding these guidelines can help prevent fines and ensure a smooth, safe operation.​

Step #5: Monitor The Digging Process

• Supervising the excavation is crucial to keep everyone safe. Supervisors need to watch workers and equipment closely and follow all safety rules. They should know how to spot and handle safety risks quickly to stop accidents before they happen.
• It’s important to keep talking to utility companies, especially when unexpected things happen. For example, if workers find an unmarked utility line, immediately contact the utility company. They can check the situation and tell you what to do next. This helps avoid dangers and keeps the digging safe.

Step #6: Post-Dig Inspection And Cleanup

• After the digging project is done, inspect for damage to utility lines or markings. Any signs of damage should be reported to the appropriate utility company promptly. This helps in quick restoration and ensures that any potential hazards are managed before they can cause broader issues​​.
• It’s important to fill in holes properly, pack down the soil, and fix up any landscaping after digging. This helps the area look good and stay safe, avoiding problems like tripping or puddles. This keeps the community safe and the site usable.

Dig Safely This Summer With Util-Locate

At Util-Locate, we know that safe excavation is not just about following rules. It’s about protecting the community and vital infrastructure. By ensuring your digging projects are carried out with precision and care, you can minimize risks and avoid costly mistakes. Util-Locate is here to help you at every step. We handle initial utility detection to post-excavation assessments. We provide the expertise and technology needed to navigate safely beneath the surface.

Ensure your next excavation project is conducted safely and efficiently with Util-Locate’s expert utility detection services. Contact us to learn more about our services and how we can help you dig with confidence.