When this template fits
Striking a buried cable or gas main is one of the most common serious incidents in groundworks, and it is almost always preventable. This working near underground services RAMS is built around the safe-digging process — survey records, CAT and Genny scanning, trial holes and hand digging — for any gang excavating where live utilities may be present. It is the document a principal contractor expects before issuing a permit to dig.
What this RAMS includes
- ✓ 8 task-specific hazards scored on a 5×5 matrix (initial → residual)
- ✓ Specific control measures for each hazard, in hierarchy-of-control order
- ✓ A 8-step method statement (sequence of works)
- ✓ PPE, plant/equipment, permits and competence requirements
- ✓ Emergency arrangements and operative briefing / sign-off section
Scope of works
Locating and avoiding buried services (CAT & Genny, safe digging).
Sequence of works
- 1PLAN: Obtain all available utility drawings and statutory undertaker records (via LSBUD/Linesearch) before work. Review drawings, mark up confirmed and assumed service routes on a site plan. Conduct a pre-start briefing and toolbox talk with all operatives, covering service locations, colour-coded markers, emergency contacts, and site rules.
- 2SURVEY: A competent, trained operative carries out a full CAT and Genny survey of the work area prior to excavation. Scan in two perpendicular directions. Record all detected signals and mark located services on the ground using PAS 128 colour-coded spray paint and/or marker flags.
- 3TRIAL HOLES: Excavate hand-dug or vacuum-excavated trial holes (pot-holing) to physically confirm the depth, position, and condition of all located services before mechanical plant is used. Record findings and update site service drawings accordingly.
- 4ESTABLISH EXCLUSION ZONES: Set up physical exclusion zones and barriers around the excavation area. Erect edge protection (Heras fencing with toe boards) around all open excavations. Confirm no overhead line conflict; if present, implement goal-post gantries or seek line isolation.
- 5MECHANICAL EXCAVATION: Where confirmed safe, use mechanical plant to excavate outside the 0.5 m service exclusion zone under banksman supervision. Plant operator to have been briefed on service positions. Stop mechanical operations and switch to hand-digging or vacuum excavation upon approaching any service corridor.
- 6HAND-DIGGING AND SERVICE EXPOSURE: Within the 0.5 m exclusion zone of any located service, use only insulated hand tools or vacuum excavation to expose the service carefully. Do not apply excessive lateral force. Once exposed, protect the service from damage during continued works.
- 7INSPECTION AND MONITORING: Competent person to inspect the excavation at the start of each shift and after any event affecting stability. Check edge protection, access ladders, and service markers remain in place. Monitor for signs of ground water ingress, gas, or ground movement.
- 8BACKFILL AND REINSTATEMENT: Reinstate excavations using appropriate imported fill or compacted arisings in controlled layers. Lay service marker tape above any services at the correct depth before final backfill. Ensure no services have been displaced or damaged. Competent person to sign off reinstatement.
Hazards, risk rating & controls
Risk = likelihood × severity (1–25). Initial is before controls; residual is with controls applied.
Electric shock from buried cable strike
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Use a calibrated Cable Avoidance Tool (CAT) with a Signal Generator (Genny) to locate and mark all buried electrical services before any ground disturbance. Scan in two perpendicular directions.
- › Request statutory undertaker plans and utility drawings (e.g. via LSBUD/Linesearch) before work. Cross-reference with site drawings and CAT survey results.
- › Maintain a minimum 0.5 m hand-dig exclusion zone either side of any located or assumed service route. Use insulated hand tools only within this zone.
- › Operatives excavating near electrical services to wear insulating gloves, Class 1 dielectric safety footwear, and use insulated hand tools rated for the voltage present.
Struck by plant during surface excavation
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Establish and enforce a physical exclusion zone (barriers or banksman control) preventing pedestrian access within the plant swing radius during mechanical excavation.
- › Deploy a trained and competent banksman to direct plant operations and control pedestrian access. Maintain direct communication with the plant operator at all times.
- › All operatives and pedestrians in the vicinity of plant to wear high-visibility vests or jackets to Class 2 minimum.
Excavation collapse
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Excavations exceeding 1.2 m depth must be supported (trench boxes, sheet piling) or sides battered to a safe angle by a competent person. Never enter an unsupported excavation below 1.2 m.
- › Excavations must be inspected by a competent person at the start of each shift, after any event likely to affect stability, and after any accidental fall of material. Records must be kept.
- › Keep excavated spoil and materials a minimum of 0.5 m from the excavation edge to prevent surcharging and edge collapse.
Gas pipe strike and ignition
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Use CAT and Genny alongside ground-penetrating radar (GPR) where available to identify gas pipes as well as electrical services. Mark all located services with appropriate colour-coded spray paint/flags.
- › Request gas distribution records from the relevant network operator before work and ensure operatives are briefed on the mapped service routes.
- › Prohibit smoking, use of angle grinders, or any ignition source within the excavation area and a 3 m radius when working near gas services.
Struck by undetected buried service during hand-digging
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Treat any unconfirmed area as containing live services. Always hand-dig trial holes ('pot-holing') to confirm service positions before mechanical excavation.
- › Use vacuum excavation (suction excavator) or low-strike hand tools as the preferred method to expose buried services safely without risk of direct tool contact.
- › Brief all operatives before work on the PAS 128 service marker colour codes and the locations of all marked services on site. Toolbox talk to be recorded.
Fall into open excavation
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Erect rigid barriers (Heras fencing, trench guards, or proprietary systems) around all open excavations. Fit toe boards where materials could fall in.
- › Fit close-boarded covers rated for vehicular or pedestrian loading (as appropriate) over all excavations left unattended, including overnight and weekend periods.
- › Provide suitable ladders or steps extending at least 1 m above the excavation edge. Ladders to be secured and inspected before use.
Manual handling injury during survey equipment and barrier use
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Use lifting equipment (telehandler, crane, or proprietary trench box hydraulic system) to position and remove trench support systems rather than manual handling.
- › Conduct manual handling risk assessment. Use team lifts for items over 20 kg. Brief operatives on correct lifting posture and technique.
Overhead line contact by plant
Who’s at risk: Operatives, Other trades on site
- › Request the network operator to divert or de-energise overhead lines before work commences where the work area is within or adjacent to the line safety clearance zone.
- › Erect proprietary goal-post height restriction gantries on all vehicle routes approaching the overhead line to prevent plant from entering the danger zone.
- › Implement a documented permit-to-work system and physical exclusion zone around the overhead line corridor. Require network operator confirmation of safe clearance distances.
PPE
- ✓ Safety footwear (EN ISO 20345)
- ✓ Hi-vis clothing
- ✓ Safety gloves (task-appropriate)
- ✓ Hard hat (EN 397) where overhead risk or site rules require
- ✓ Insulated gloves where live work is unavoidable
Competence
- ✓ Site induction completed; CSCS or equivalent where the site requires it
Schemes (CSCS, PASMA, IPAF…) evidence competence; they are not statutory requirements in themselves.
Plant & equipment
- › Cable avoidance tool (CAT) and signal generator (Genny)
- › PAS 128 survey records and marked-up service drawings
- › Insulated spades, shovels and forks for hand digging
- › Vacuum excavation unit where used for trial holes
- › Spray paint and markers for setting out located services
- › Service protection covers, marker tape and tiles for reinstatement
Permits & legislation
What principal contractors usually check
- ✓ That the method follows HSG47 in full — survey records, CAT & Genny location, trial holes and hand digging — not just a line saying 'avoid services'.
- ✓ Whether a permit to dig is issued per excavation, capturing the survey, the scan results and the safe-dig precautions for that specific dig.
- ✓ That CAT & Genny operators are trained and competent and that scans are confirmed by hand-dug trial holes rather than treated as proof of position.
- ✓ The document is site-specific — real address, access arrangements and dates, not a generic template
- ✓ Hazards match the actual task and the controls are specific (not “take care” and “use PPE”)
- ✓ Named supervisor and competent person, with operative sign-off space
- ✓ Emergency and rescue arrangements that work for this site
The report builder runs these as pre-submission checks before you download — or run an existing document through the free RAMS pre-submission checker.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to dig?
If there is any chance of buried services in the area, yes — HSG47 expects a controlled system, and most principal contractors operate a permit to dig that the gang must hold before breaking ground. The permit ties together the utility records, the PAS 128 survey, the CAT and Genny results and the safe-digging precautions for that specific excavation, so it is the evidence that the avoidance process was actually followed. Even on a private site without a formal scheme you should record the same checks. RamsDocs includes a permit-to-dig section you can issue alongside this method statement.
How close to a buried service can I use a machine?
Use the excavator to remove overburden, but once you are within around 500mm of an indicated or known service you should stop machine digging and hand-dig with insulated tools to expose it. HSG47 is built on locating, then proving by trial hole, then digging carefully by hand near the apparatus — picks and forks should never be driven directly over a line. The exact stand-off can be greater for high-voltage cables or high-pressure gas, where the asset owner's requirements take precedence. Treat every located service as live until the owner confirms otherwise.
What regulations apply to underground services?
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, PUWER 1998 — Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations, Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 are the main ones, alongside Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3 — risk assessment, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and CDM 2015 apply to all construction work.
Does a RAMS need to be site-specific?
Yes — this is the most common reason documents get sent back. Principal contractors reject generic copy-paste RAMS. Your document should name the site, access arrangements, dates, supervisor and any site-specific hazards. The RamsDocs builder fills these in for you and flags what's missing before you download.
Is this template free?
Yes — everything on RamsDocs is free during early access, including building a site-specific version of this RAMS and downloading the PDF. No card required.