Safety briefing - buried services

This briefing provides essential information to workers on safety when work has the potential for digging up or damaging services hidden beneath the surface.

What’s covered?

The aim of this Safety Briefing - Buried Services is to inform workers of the risks and the actions they must take to protect themselves and others.

Reasons for concern

Contact with services in the ground, walls, floors etc. can lead to electric shock, fire, explosion, water leaks, oil spills and risks from biological hazards. It can also cut essential services to businesses and homes which could be a threat to life.

Control measures

The briefing describes a range of precautions which workers must apply to minimise the risk of striking buried services. It also includes tips on how to respond if there is an incident.

Key points

The key points at the end of the briefing remind staff to:

• “Look around for evidence before you start, and where it is likely that services are in the vicinity use safe digging practices until they are marked and protected.
• Comply with site rules on work close to services.
• Know what to do in the event of accidentally damaging pipes or cables.”