The Problems Surrounding Excavation Works In Areas Of Underground Services

The guidelines in HSG47 from the HSE outline the potential dangers from working in or around areas which contain underground services and provides advice on how to reduce the risks. They deal primarily with the risks associated with health and safety, although the HSE does point out that actions taken in order to protect health and safety will also reduce the risk of damaging underground services.

Of course, damage to underground services not only poses health and safety risks but can involve considerable financial implications. Apart from any other consideration, striking underground services means that the contractor will have men idle on site until the utility concerned has repaired the damage. If a cable strike causes businesses in the area to shut down or stop work, there may be claims for compensation. There will also be damage to the contractor’s reputation. Indeed, it has been known for a contractor to go out of business as the result of striking an underground service.

As for injury, with some 60,000 cable strikes every year in the UK, there are many injuries as a result, a lot of them severe. Further, there are usually around a dozen fatalities. These can cause compensation claims which run into the hundreds of thousands.

This is why it is essential to undertake stringent investigation prior to putting a spade into the ground. The tools used to locate underground services are the CAT and The Genny - Cable Avoidance Tool and Signal Generator.

However, if you are a contractor engaged in any sort of excavation work, it is not sufficient to purchase a CAT and Genny and take them out of the box and read the instructions. The tools do have certain limitations and it is vital that these are understood by anyone undertaking survey work.

This is why all operatives should undertake an HSG47 course which will explain all the rationale behind the use of the CAT and Genny, together with instructions for their use in all modes, and with practical experience out on site. This is the only way for operatives to be able to proceed with underground services location with full confidence.