Digging near underground services: plans, potholing and spotters
Buried services are rarely exactly where the plans say. A service strike can kill, cut supply to thousands of people and stop a project for days. This guide sets out the steps we ask of crews digging near underground assets. Your asset owner's conditions and your permits come first wherever they set different steps.
Before you dig
- Lodge a Before You Dig Australia enquiry and read every plan that comes back
- Have a qualified locator mark the services on the ground
- Pothole by hand or vacuum to prove depth and position at every crossing
- Agree the tolerance zone where only hand or vacuum digging is allowed
- Brief the operator and spotter on what is in the ground and where
What an excavation spotter does
The spotter watches the bucket or vacuum head and the trench face, keeps the operator informed and calls a stop if the ground changes, warning tape or bedding sand appears, or a service is exposed that was not on the plans.
If a service is damaged
Stop work, move people clear, do not try to repair it and call the asset owner's emergency number. For gas, remove ignition sources and call 000. Record what happened, take photos and report it under your incident process.