Keeping you safe
Safe excavation is not just about lodging an enquiry and getting plans! It is essential to know your duty of care when working around Australia’s underground networks. The following are vital points to consider:
- Lodge your BYDA enquiry at least one day before your job is due to begin.
- Check that you have had a response from all asset owners before commencing work. If you do not receive plans within two business days, contact the asset owner directly and quote their sequence number.
- BYDA will send you an enquiry confirmation email listing the asset owners affected by your project; keep a copy of this sheet while working on site. If you damage an underground asset, you MUST advise the asset owner immediately.
- Asset owners will provide duty of care statements accompanied with the plans – please make sure to follow these instructions carefully and ensure that all workers on site understand the instructions before work commences.
- Take note of any required permits before commencing work.
- Lodge a new BYDA enquiry if the scope of work changes or the validity dates of plans expire.
- Look for clues near underground infrastructure. These may include water/gas/electricity meters, marker posts, inspection points and warning signs.
- Use a skilled locator to help determine the location of the assets. Where appropriate and safe to do so, it is the excavator’s responsibility to expose the cable or pipe using hand digging tools.
- Plans provided by the asset owners detail the presence of underground infrastructure rather than the exact location. Be mindful that the plans generally do not show the entire domestic connection, only services delivered to the property.
- Be aware of any exclusion zones around assets.
- Ensure no underground assets are damaged or exposed once your project is complete.
- And always follow the 5Ps of safe excavation!
What to do in an emergency
BYDA is not an emergency service. In a life-threatening situation, please call 000. If there is no threat to life, you can report damage to the asset owner directly via the Emergency Contacts.