Underground utility locating is an extremely important and necessary step for any construction project. Excavations that do not safely locate utilities run the risk of a utility strike, which can result in serious damage and disruption to the local area. Indeed, professional utility locating services can mean the difference between a safe construction site, or a dangerous one.
When revisiting a project, it may seem unnecessary to hire a utility locating team — but having sub-surface level utilities expertly located near any new excavation is crucial. To learn more about why you should still call a utility locator when revisiting a project and the benefits that come with hydro vacuum excavation, keep reading.
Safety is Assured
The first priority on any construction site is the safety of the crew and the public. This is why all necessary precautions should be taken to create a safe working environment with a crew that is regularly educated about on-site safety measures.
Excavating a construction site can be a dangerous process if it is not carried out with care and modern techniques, such as hydro vacuum excavation. With our underground utility locating services, your construction site will remain a safe and secure place with a minimized risk of accident or injury.
When you’re revisiting a construction project, it’s important to be certain of the locations of the utility lines and other sub-surface level structures that may be under your site. While you may have verified the locations previously, markers left behind could have been affected over time and may no longer have the same accuracy.
Instead of risking an expensive and dangerous utility strike, you should have a professional team of vacuum excavators return to the site to carry out further excavation. This will provide you with visual verification of the utility line locations and give peace of mind before moving forward to work on the site.
Hiring a professional utility locator also prevents dangerous gas lines from being struck, which have been known to cause explosions and fires. These are incredibly dangerous for anyone in the nearby vicinity, including members of the public, and can cause serious delays to your project.
On the other hand, while electricity lines are less dangerous when struck, they can still cause major implications for the surrounding community. For instance, if the power at a local hospital is cut, it can cause debilitating problems for doctors and patients. This can, in turn, result in large fines and even community ire while the line is repaired.
Lower Overall Costs
Another reason to locate utilities at a site you are revisiting is to reduce costs. While this may seem counterintuitive given professional fees or already having located utility lines in the past, choosing to call utility locator to the site is bound to save you on money and time, and can serve as a good way to give you peace of mind.
As mentioned above, a utility strike is a very costly accident that can simply be avoided. While in recent years repairing damaged utility lines have become less expensive, fines imposed by local government councils have risen steeply. Not to mention, if a utility strike affects the local community, you may also have to deal with time-consuming civil lawsuit actions.
To avoid these unnecessary costs, use utility locating services that will safely and efficiently identify the exact locations of all utility lines or underground structures, such as pipes or other objects that are often not found on utility maps.
It is also much easier to budget for excavation services than for unforeseen and high fines or repair costs. By preparing your budget ahead of time to include hydro vacuum excavation, your project will be able to proceed smoothly and on time without any delay.
Benefits of Choosing Hydro Vacuum Excavation
When it comes to choosing the right utility locating services, it’s important to choose a method that is safe, cost-efficient, and friendly for the environment. Hydro vacuum excavation utilizes low flow and high water pressure to accomplish the dislodging, and is an ideal method for areas with slippery or slick surfaces, or places suffering from soil erosion or instability.
Aside from this, however, the hydro vacuum excavation method also presents a number of other benefits, such as:
- Minimal Surface Disruption: For any project, excavation can be a time-consuming and disruptive activity to other work taking place on the construction site. Hydro vacuum excavation is the least invasive method and will only minimally affect your construction site. This is especially helpful for anyone who is on a tight deadline or wants to carry out other work on the site while the excavation work is being carried out.
- Modern Technology: Alongside our vacuum excavation equipment, our team can utilize RADAR technology, which will make for a more efficient excavation process. Using both utility line maps and Ground Penetrating RADAR, our team can get a better idea of the location of utility lines, how many holes need to be dug, and how deep those holes will be. This information will also provide your project with an accurate price estimation before the actual excavation project begins.
- Visual Verification: Perhaps the best advantage of choosing hydro vacuum excavation is how incredibly accurate it is. By visually identifying the locations of all utility lines and other sub-surface level structures, you can rest assured that utility lines will not be struck, and your site will remain a safe environment.
Overall, it is important to use a utility locating service even when you are revisiting a construction project to ensure that locations of lines, pipes, and other underground structures are accurately identified and recorded. The right method is also just as crucial, and the hydro vacuum excavation will help you save time and money while maintaining the highest of safety standards.
Get Utility Locating Services with Util-Locate
Util-Locate is the #1 utility locating service and underground locator of choice for industry professionals in Southern California. With our professional underground utilities locator, you can be sure that we’ll use state-of-the-art technology that’s the best in the industry.
If you decide you want to acquire underground utility locating services for your recent project, call Util-Locate at (885) 885-6228 today.
