Constructing A Building Begins With Digging – And That Can Be Dangerous

The construction industry is one of the most dangerous for workers that there is. Accidents can happen for many different reasons, and they can literally happen from the ground up. A lot of heavy equipment is used. Scaffolding can cause issues with people falling from height. There can be problems installing electricity, gas, water, and so on.

But if you are constructing a building, you can have problems from the very first day because the first job is to build the foundations, and that means digging.

HSG47: What Is It All About?

HSG47 is a publication from the Health and Safety Executive aimed specifically at all those who are connected in any way with works or contracts that involve any excavation.

The fact is that it is generally estimated, although there are no definite figures since records are not kept, that there are over 4 million contracts involving excavation that take place across Britain every year. That is an awful lot of digging, and it results in around 60,000 cable strikes – strikes of underground services of all types, not just cables – each year. Many of these strikes result in serious injury to workers and in some cases are fatal. There are around a dozen fatalities each year.

Carrying Out Excavation Work Of Any Sort Can Be Dangerous

Probably the biggest danger to anyone involved in the construction industry where there is a need to carry out any sort of ground excavation work is the chance of hitting something underground such as an electricity cable, gas pipe, sewage pipe, and so on. The problem is that these underground services can be just about anywhere, including in some of the most unlikely situations.

HSG47: What You Need To Know About Excavations

Avoiding Danger From Underground Services HSG47 is a guide produced by the Health and Safety Executive and it does what it says on the tin. It is designed for people involved in “commissioning, planning, managing, and carrying out work on or near underground services”. It is also of use to owners and operators of such services. This is the latest (third) edition and was updated in 2014.

PAS128 Utility Surveyor Training From Sygma Solutions

The Health and Safety Executive produces a guidance book known as HSG47 which is aimed at people involved in commissioning, planning, managing and carrying out work on or near underground services. The purpose of the guidance is primarily concerned with health and safety of those engaged directly in any type of excavation work rather than being concerned with damage to any underground services.

What You Need To Know About HSG47 Training

When you are engaged on any contract which means that the ground needs to be broken, there are a huge number of hidden dangers. The simple fact is that there are all sorts of underground services wherever you may happen to be. In fact, depending upon whose figures you believe, there are anywhere between 1.5 million and 2 million kilometres of underground services in the UK, and the simple fact that nobody actually knows the true figures shows you that they can be absolutely anywhere.

Excavation Safety – A Crash Course

Accidents during excavations can be incredibly dangerous when cables are not accurately detected and avoided. They may occur suddenly and pose a threat to life for anyone in the vicinity, due to explosions, fires and electrical shocks.

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EUSR HSG47 Training From Sygma Solutions

When you need to undertake any sort of contracting work that involves excavation, there are a number of things to take into consideration. There is always, the danger of striking underground services of one sort or another and doing so will result in issues that can range from simply costing money to fatal injury.

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The Shocking Figures Around Striking Underground Services During Excavation

Accidentally striking an electricity cable or a gas pipe, for example, when undertaking any sort of groundwork can have a massive effect on both the person doing the digging and the owner of the asset. According to Zurich Insurance plc, there is an average of 600 serious injuries and 12 deaths attributed to contact with the electricity network every year (https://www.highwayssafetyhub.com/uploads/5/1/2/9/51294565/an_insurers_perspective.pdf). That figure refers only to electricity cable strikes. However, there are estimated to be a total of 60,000 strikes of underground services every year including others such as gas, water, sewers, telecoms, fibreoptic, and more, which works out at 230 every working day.

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Shocking Statistics Concerning Safety When Carrying Out Excavations

Utility Strike Avoidance Group ((USAG) reported in November on research just released by Energy Networks Association (ENA) that found that nearly one-third of workers (31%) admitted not always checking for underground electricity cables before commencing to dig (https://www.utilitystrikeavoidancegroup.org/news-and-comment).

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