Interpret utility records and plans from asset owners to identify likely buried services before digging starts.
Occupational Health & Safety
Preventing Underground Utility Strikes During Excavation and Groundworks
Prepares site engineers and supervisors to plan safe digging, interpret utility records and apply the tools and permits that stop excavation work from striking live cables and pipes.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Every excavation carries the risk of striking a live cable or gas main that nobody could see. Utility records are often incomplete, buried services move over time, and a single rushed dig can cause an electrocution, an explosion or a service outage affecting thousands of properties. This course trains site engineers, groundworkers and supervisors to plan digging around what utility records actually show, verify that information with detection equipment, and apply a permit-to-dig system that stops work starting without the right checks. Through drawing interpretation exercises, scanning practice scenarios and permit sign-off simulations, participants learn to request and read utility plans, use cable and pipe locating tools correctly, apply safe digging techniques such as hand-dug trial holes, and respond immediately if a strike occurs. The course closes with the governance side: audits, contractor briefings and the records that prove due diligence after an incident. Participants leave with a permit-to-dig template, a safe digging method statement and a strike-response checklist for their own site.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Operate cable and pipe locating equipment correctly and verify readings using trial holes.
Apply safe digging techniques, including hand digging and vacuum excavation, near suspected services.
Issue and control permits to dig that block excavation from starting without completed checks.
Respond to a suspected or confirmed utility strike following an isolation and evacuation sequence.
Brief excavator operators and groundworkers on service avoidance rules before work begins.
Audit excavation sites for compliance with safe digging practice and closeout records.
Who Should Attend
Site engineers and groundworkers planning excavation near buried services.
Plant operators and banksmen working alongside diggers and trenching equipment.
Principal contractors and site managers issuing permits to dig on construction projects.
Utility company representatives who supply asset records to contractors.
Health and safety advisors auditing excavation and groundworks activity.
Estimators and planners scoping groundworks who must budget for service diversions.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Reading Utility Records and Planning the Dig
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Requesting and Interpreting Buried Service Records
- Request utility plans from all relevant asset owners, including electricity, gas, water and telecoms providers.
- Interpret symbols, depths and tolerances shown on utility drawings and recognise their limitations.
- Cross-reference multiple utility plans to identify conflicting or missing information before work starts.
- Mark up a site plan showing suspected service routes, exclusion zones and safe approach directions.
Session 2Assessing Excavation Risk and Sequencing the Work
- Assess ground conditions, previous excavation history and third-party records for signs of unmapped services.
- Sequence excavation work so trial holes are dug before mechanical plant approaches suspected service lines.
- Identify high-risk scenarios such as excavation near high-voltage cables or high-pressure gas mains.
- Brief the excavation team on the plan, exclusion zones and stop-work triggers before mobilising plant.
02Locating Services and Verifying Positions on Site
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Using Cable Avoidance Tools and Detection Equipment
- Select the correct detection equipment, such as cable avoidance tools and ground-penetrating radar, for the ground conditions.
- Operate detection equipment following a systematic sweep pattern across the full width of the excavation.
- Interpret detector signals correctly, recognising the limitations of detection near dense reinforcement or clay.
- Record detected service locations on site using marker paint, pegs or GPS coordinates.
Session 2Confirming Positions with Trial Holes and Vacuum Excavation
- Hand dig or vacuum excavate trial holes at marked locations to physically confirm service depth and position.
- Apply safe digging distances and tools appropriate to each utility type once a service is exposed.
- Support and protect exposed services during ongoing excavation to prevent accidental contact or damage.
- Document confirmed service positions and update the site drawing before mechanical excavation resumes.
03Permit-to-Dig Systems and Site Controls
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Designing and Issuing Permits to Dig
- Design a permit-to-dig form that requires evidence of records, scanning and trial holes before authorisation.
- Assign a competent permit issuer accountable for verifying checks before excavation work is authorised.
- Set conditions and time limits on permits that require renewal if ground conditions or scope change.
- Train excavator operators to refuse to start work without a valid, signed permit to dig.
Session 2Managing Contractors and Multi-Site Consistency
- Brief subcontractors and temporary labour on permit requirements before they are allowed to operate plant.
- Standardise permit and safe digging documentation across multiple sites within the same organisation.
- Audit live excavation sites to check permits match the actual work being carried out.
- Close out permits with as-built records showing the final confirmed position of all exposed services.
04Emergency Response and Continuous Improvement
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Responding to a Suspected or Actual Utility Strike
- Stop all work immediately and evacuate the area on suspicion of contact with an electrical or gas service.
- Follow an isolation sequence that avoids re-entering the excavation until the asset owner confirms it is safe.
- Contact the relevant utility emergency line and provide accurate location and service type information.
- Manage casualties and preserve the incident scene for investigation while awaiting emergency services.
Session 2Investigating Strikes and Feeding Back into Practice
- Investigate utility strikes to establish whether records, scanning or permit controls failed.
- Report near misses involving unmapped or mismarked services to the relevant asset owner.
- Update site safe digging procedures and training based on lessons from strikes and near misses.
- Track strike and near-miss frequency across projects to target additional training where needed.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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