There are so many underground utilities running just a few feet below the surface of the ground that the safest thing when considering any sort of excavation is to assume that there are some where you want to dig, unless you know for a fact that there are not.
Cable strikes of one description or another occur every day up and down the country. Many cause some minor inconvenience while a utility is repaired, but others cause serious injury and death. In fact, there are on average around 12 deaths a year as a result of striking utilities. Striking a water pipe is bad enough, but hitting a power cable or gas pipe is more than serious.
HSG47 is a guide produce by the Health and Safety Executive and is aimed at all those involved in commissioning, planning, managing, and carrying out work on or near underground services. It outlines the potential dangers of working near underground services and gives advice on how to reduce any direct risks to people's health and safety, as well as the indirect risks arising through damage to services. In addition, it explains the three basic elements of working safely, which are planning, locating and identifying buried utilities, and carrying out excavation safely. HSG47 training is available from a number of training companies.
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