One of the many drivers of our business is the guidance offered by the HSE in their document HSG 47 “Avoiding Danger From Underground Services”. This publication provides guidance by outlining the dangers that can arise from work near underground services and gives advice on how to reduce the risk. HSG 47 advocates “safe digging practices” which include hand digging near buried services.

In the event of an accident, the question that the HSE may ask the Managing Director of a contractor is “you were aware that the accuracy of statutory undertakers records is universally questioned and you were also aware that your operative was only an occasional user of the CAT he had been supplied with which can only find metallic pipes and cables, so what else did you do to make sure that you had done everything within your power to ensure his safety?”