A service plan can tell a crew where to start looking. The decision to release excavation needs more detail: which part of the proposed cut has been checked, what was found and what conditions apply there. On a job with several crossings, an excavation permit is most useful when the supervisor can point to the evidence for each one and show where uncertainty remains.
Define the excavation that needs to be cleared
Show the proposed footprint and depth on the same drawing used to review the utilities. Include local deepening for pits or sumps and changes to the footprint needed for temporary works. A utility check undertaken for a shallow trench may leave an adjacent pit or a deeper section outside the area assessed. Record those limits where the person releasing the work can see them.
Before You Dig Australia advises teams to obtain utility plans and follow its five steps for safe excavation. Use the responses to identify the relevant asset owners and their conditions. Bring in site records and evidence of private services where relevant. Keep the plan dates, the request area and the responses together so the next reviewer can see whether they cover the current design. Before You Dig Australia best practice guidance
Keep plans, locating results and exposures distinct
Drawings, surface markings and exposures answer different questions. A drawing indicates a recorded route. A locate may give more information about the alignment, depending on the asset and the method used. An exposure can establish the position and depth at the point examined. The excavation decision depends on understanding which of those observations supports each part of the work.
The joint WorkSafe Victoria and Energy Safe Victoria guide describes recommended No Go Zones and the need to establish service location when planning work near underground assets. Consult the applicable asset owner and project controls to determine the locating and verification methods, work limits and any required authorisations. Record what could be confirmed and where the investigation stopped. WorkSafe Victoria and Energy Safe Victoria guide
Carry the result into the work pack
Imagine a proposed drainage trench that crosses an existing service near the edge of a driveway. The site team confirms the service at one point. The trench is then moved sideways to maintain driveway access. The earlier observation still belongs in the record, but the new crossing needs its own review. Set out the revised trench on the drawing, identify the old observation point and record who will decide whether further verification is needed before work at the revised crossing proceeds.
For each crossing, a practical record ties the evidence to the work area. Include the drawing revision, a location reference the crew can find, any verified level and the basis for it, the asset owner’s conditions and the person responsible for release. Add a marked-up plan or photograph where it clarifies what was seen. If a level was estimated from a locator, describe it as an estimate so it cannot be mistaken for a surveyed exposure.
Recheck the decision when the work changes
Review the approved limits at handover, particularly when the excavation carries over to another shift or surface marks have been disturbed. Changes to depth, alignment, plant, or the conditions imposed by an asset owner can change the basis of the decision. Agree who reassesses the affected area and how the crew will know it has been cleared again.
The test of a useful handover is whether the incoming supervisor can identify the approved work boundary, find the evidence for the next crossing and recognise when the conditions on site require a fresh decision. That is the point at which the permit and the service investigation become part of the same work plan.
Featured photograph. Vacuum excavation during rail construction in New York in August 2018. Illustrative photograph. Photo: MTA Capital Construction Mega Projects (CC BY 2.0).
