Work Health and Safety (Excavation Work) Code of Practice 2015
Underground essential servicesUnderground essential services
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Underground essential services
Regulation 304 A person with management or control of the workplace must, before directing
or allowing work to commence, take all reasonable steps to obtain current underground essential services information about the areas at the workplace where the excavation work is to be carried out. They must also obtain information about underground essential services in areas adjacent
to the site of excavation and have regard for all of the information.
Information on the location of underground services may be obtained by contacting the Dial Before You Dig organisation in your state or territory. Any underground service plans that are obtained including information on underground essential services must be provided to the principal contractor and/or the excavation contractor. Other relevant parties including any subcontractors and plant operators carrying out the excavation work should also be provided
with information about essential services and other plans so the information is considered when planning all work in the area.
Underground essential services information obtained must be:
- made available to any worker, principal contractor and subcontractors
- readily available for inspection, as required under the WHS Act, and
- retained until the excavation work is completed or, if there is a notifiable incident relating
to the excavation work, 2 years after the incident occurs.
Available information about existing underground essential services may not be accurate. Therefore it is important that excavation methods include an initial examination of the area to be excavated, for example sampling the area by exposing a short section of underground services usually using water pressure and a vacuum system to excavate or ‘pothole’ the area.
Figure 1 Underground essential services exposed by ‘potholing’
Figure 1 shows underground essential services exposed by ‘potholing’.
Further guidance on underground essential services and how to locate them is available in the Code of Practice: Construction work.