When people think of underground facilities, they often think of power and telephone lines. But underground facilities include anything below the ground that transports or stores:
 Water
Sanitary
Storm
Oil
Gas
Cablevision
Electric energy
Electric, telephonic, & telegraphic communications
These may be contained in pipes, conduits, ducts, cables, lines, wires, manholes and catchbasins. There is a lot to watch out for underground.
The Risks
If you hit an underground facility while digging you could cause:
Injury to yourself and others
Electrocution
Explosion
Toxic substance releases
Severe damage
Isolation to entire communities
Disrupt vital communications networks
Render computer-based business operations useless
Financial penalties
Costs to repair damage
Court costs due to prosecution or litigation
Ground Disturbances
There are many activities that create a ground disturbance and have potential for danger:
Excavating
Digging and trenching
Plowing (cable, pipe), drilling, tunneling, auguring and backfilling
Driving posts, bars, pins, etc.
Topsoil stripping, land leveling and quarrying
Tree planting, rock picking, grading, blasting and clearing
Control Zones
Generally, a Control Zone is the area one metre on either side of the location marks. However some special cases such as fibre optics and high pressure pipe lines have a Control Zone of five metres. Facilities must be exposed by non-destructive techniques before mechanical equipment is used within the Control Zone. Always use a method of exposure approved by the facility owner. This often means careful hand exposure before mechanical equipment is used within the Control Zone. Hand exposure is started at or near the location marks, working outwards into the Control Zones until the buried facility is found. Make sure you know the Control Zones and hand exposure procedures for the underground facility you are working around.
Digging At Home
Home owners often need to put in new fence posts, plant a tree, or build a garage pad or retaining wall. Remember - Call Before You Dig!
It's easy to forget that just doing some work around the yard can be extremely dangerous. But it is just as important to be careful at home as it is at work. In fact, there are some special problems when digging at home:
Although utility lines are supposed to be buried at approved depths, conditions can change. Some shallow utilities may be less than 12 inches (300mm) below ground surface in residential areas.
There may be secondary services such as electrical, telephone or gas lines, located between your house and garage, which you, not the utility, own.
You own the sewer, water, communications, cable and electrical lines that are on your property servicing your home. Make sure you know your responsibilities when digging on your property.
Equip Yourself With Knowledge
With underground facilities, the smallest incident can cause incredible destruction. You can prevent disasters by following these basic steps:
Plan your work
Call before you dig
Hand expose facilities
Use safe work practices and procedures
Both excavators and owners of buried facilities are responsible for preventing damage to underground facilities
Our Concerns
Safety is UCSInc's primary concern. By using our service, excavators, whether they be private land owners or commercial contractors, reduce the risk of personal injury and property damage. The use of this service by owners and operators of underground facilities greatly reduces the risk of facility damage , service disruption, environmental contamination, loss of product, law suits and yes, even loss of life.
So Play It Safe - Call Before You Dig!
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Phone: (902) 456-4244
FAX: (902) 463-1608
http://www.undergroundconsulting.com/
ucsinc@ns.sympatico.ca
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