Safety Update

Safety Update: Ground Disturbance Controls

To ensure that any type of ground disturbance, meets the minimum mandatory standards regarding personal safety and to avoid contact with underground facilities and lines, strategic planning is required. Prior to a ground disturbance, the following steps or controls need to be established to reduce or eliminate the potential for an incident:

• Excavations near pipelines, with either power or hand tools, will not commence without appropriate authority and in accordance with respective guides and/or policy (IRP 17 for Ground Disturbance).
• Define the areas of work:
  • Work Area: geographical area being disturbed,
  • Search Area: area extending 30m beyond the work area; and
  • Controlled Area: 30m on each side of the pipeline.
• Review information from the following sources to determine if there are underground lines in the area and where they may be:
  • Provincial One Call Services (Notify Alberta One-Call, BC One-Call or Saskatchewan 1st Call),
  • Utility owners,
  • Contact land owner,
  • Review surveys; and
  • Contact area operations personnel.
• Notify owners of underground facilities at least 48 hours before digging
• Obtain work permits, crossing agreements (if within 5 m of the right of way of a pipeline),
• Arrange for underground utility locators to provide line locates and have a preliminary plot plan created,
• Erect temporary fencing along the right-of-way if needed,
• Hand expose or hydrovac the work area if it is within 5m of the underground facility,
• Do not use machinery within 1m of the pipeline unless directly supervised by the pipeline owner,
• Ensure the Ground Disturbance Permit and/or Pipeline Crossing Agreement and plot plans have been signed by the pipeline owner and are available on site; and
• Call the pipeline owner at least 24 hours before covering any exposed pipeline.

The Topic for August 7th, 2008: Alberta Sees Increase in OHS Fines.

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