Accidents during excavations can be incredibly dangerous when cables are not accurately detected and avoided. They may occur suddenly and pose a threat to life for anyone in the vicinity, due to explosions, fires and electrical shocks.

Machinery and equipment can also become damaged, causing additional explosion threats or malfunction. Collapse to the ground surrounding the cable can also be dangerous, undermining the integrity of the land and any unsupported nearby structures.

Falling earth can easily bury or crush a person in its path resulting in death by suffocation or high pressure and crushing.

Nevertheless, excavation work is necessary for so many reasons, including the effective maintenance and improvement of the UK’s many services that supply homes throughout the country with electricity, gas and other necessary infrastructure.

In this post, we outline some of the most important safety guidelines for those conducting excavation work to avoid the many serious consequences of cable strikes.

Treat Each Excavation Differently

The safety protocols you follow should be adapted to suit the environment in which you are digging. Excavation work can occur anywhere, including on construction sites, business premises, busy commercial zones and in high traffic public areas.
The usage of tools, machinery and explosives should be appropriate for the setting and should factor in the safety concerns for those present nearby.

Excavation work generally means work involving the removal of soil or rock from a site to form an open face, hole or cavity, using tools, machinery or explosives. You may need to follow different practices if you are working with a large open excavation or if you are handling trenches or only small pit excavations.

Detect Cables

There is no excuse for poor or non-existent cable avoidance work to be carried out. And in some cases, operatives trained to survey underground services and map cable networks should be integrated with the excavation team, performing regular surveys of cables so that they are never accidentally stricken with machinery or tools.

Starting with a review of the existing service records from the necessary network operators in the area, you should create a clear picture of any dense networks of cables. This information should then be verified and confirmed with additional cable detection using CAT and Genny tools that match the distance and frequencies you need to trace.

Plan the Work

Once cables and any other hazards are identified, these should be formalised and recorded in a risk assessment and plan of action for the excavation. Clients and contractors should agree on suitable controls to reduce the risk to life and project delay.

The nature of the excavation work will always affect the selection of an excavation method and the safety practices used. Unique site factors should be taken into account rather than applying the same protocols to every excavation.

For instance, different ground conditions will have an impact on what excavation method should be chosen, as well as the accessibility to the site, which may or may not limit the access of certain vehicles and equipment.

Develop a Safe System of work

Make sure a safe system of work is developed and shared with everyone working on the site as well as health and safety managers for your clients, local authority or other such parties.

This should involve assigning responsibilities to certain people, identifying any health and safety hazards and risks, implementing lessons learned for the risk assessment to create tangible controls that will limit the dangers caused by potential hazards.

Make Sure Workers are Qualified

Starting with those you entrust to detect the presence of underground cables and ending with the team used to actually perform the excavation, you should only work with people who have the right training and experience. You must then work with them cooperatively to give them the tools they need to do their jobs well.

This will include giving a clear briefing and assessing their plans for carrying out their designated roles. Workers should be supervised to make sure standards are met and work is carried out safely at all times.

Looking for Cable Avoidance Training?

If you’re looking to train your team in cable avoidance or enrol yourself on a survey mapping and detection course, we’d be happy to hear from you. All our programs are chosen to offer participants the necessary knowledge and skills they need to support safe site excavations and limit the risk of potential hazards and unnecessary cable strikes.

Also, if you’re looking for specific courses like HSG47 training near you, we have a long list of potential courses you can enrol on throughout the UK, offering industry-standard training.