A number of organisations and construction firms have provided guidance on cable avoidance and electrical safety, which is suitable for a wide range of applications.

Today, there’s no excuse for improper cable detection and avoidance practices to be followed. And the dangers of incompetency are more than clear from the thousands of accidents that occur each year, sometimes resulting in fatalities in the worst cases.

The Basics – Staying Safe During Excavations

Essentially, underground cables and services that support the UK’s homes and businesses across the country are buried beneath the ground. Striking them when excavating is incredibly dangerous. The only solution is to pay careful attention to locating any and all cables beneath the ground before construction starts.

When underground cables are damaged, people can be killed and injured by electric shocks, explosions and fires Even when protective clothing is worn, this could result in severe burns to the body.

If you are digging for whatever reason, you should take care to avoid damaging underground services and live cables. Sometimes pipes may be identified and not presumed live. This is a mistake as appearance alone can’t tell you whether there is or isn’t an active current passing through the pipe.

What is Cable Striking?

A cable strike is when workers come into contact with existing cable networks below the ground. This can include:

1. Cutting through cables with a sharp object such as the point of a tool
2. Crushing a cable with a heavy object or powerful machine
3. Cables that have been previously damaged but left unreported and unrepaired can also cause incidents

How to Carry Out Safe Cable Avoidance

Safe excavations start with comprehensive cable detection procedures. Generally, they involve the following steps:

• Survey utility charts and records
• Plan the workaround existing cables
• Inspect the site in person
• Use suitable cable locating devices
• Perform a risk assessment
• Adhere to safe digging practices

Careful planning and risk assessments are always essential before the work starts. These should take into account advice given by HSE and other industry bodies and should always be adapted to the situation at hand.

Assessing the Landscape

You might be able to find most existing cables through public records such as those provided by the Distribution Network Operator (DNO), but some cables will belong to other organisations or will not be recorded at all. Some other cables will be very old or potentially inactive, but could still pose a threat.

Even if the excavation work is an emergency or you are working to particularly tight deadlines, comprehensive cable detection methods must be used by trained operatives to confirm no exciting services are below the ground.

Also, the accuracy of plans should always be verified with your own processes. Plans give only an indication of the location, not their precise location. If you suspect there are underground cables below, you should always be diligent in your detection methods and work as if you believe there are live cables in the ground at all times.

Finally, cable detectors shouldn’t be used just once and left aside for the rest of the project. You should look to build on your initial detection work by constantly verifying the position of cables as you proceed. This is especially important with projects that last several months or even years.

Dig Safely

Excavation work should always be carried out diligently and follow recognised safe digging practices. Variation from set plans, even by a few metres, can have disastrous consequences. If cables are identified to be extremely close, then cable avoidance tools should be used almost simultaneously with digging tools so that there is no chance cables will be hit.

Find Out More

To find out more about what you should and shouldn’t do during excavations or to learn more about our cable avoidance training courses, get in touch with use at Sygma Solutions.