You’d have to be living under a rock to have not seen a television or printed ad talking all about the dangers of digging blindly. If you have ever wondered how The Dial Before You Dig works, their campaign has been specifically designed to help educate and raise awareness for the dangers that lurk just beneath the surface? Hearing one of the ads and knowing what it means, however, are two very different things. You’ve probably seen the merchandise around a lot as well, especially if you work in a trade environment. If you’ve seen an ad, a poster or a sticker promoting the Dial before dig hotline and aren’t quite sure what it all means, use this guide to learn everything you need to know before you pick up a shovel or start your machine.
What is Dial Before You Dig?
Dial Before You Dig is a National not for profit organisation run to help ensure the safety of those professionals who need to dig, excavate or move the earth. The organisation started after one of Australia’s worst incidents on record, a bulldozer puncturing a gas pipeline causing an explosion. Dial Before You Dig is a resource that is designed to help promote safe digging under any conditions, including vacuum excavation or standard earth moving. Each state manages their own operations, helping to ensure any projects or individuals know exactly what they are digging into on their job.
How does the service work?
The Dial Before You Dig service can be accessed by any large, medium or small project that plans to break ground. Site managers or project leads can submit an enquiry online or by using the mobile website. Dial Before You Dig has memberships with almost all of the major infrastructure providers in Australia, meaning users of the service have access to detailed and up to date information about the location of their assets. By using the dial before service, site managers can get a clear understanding of any pipelines, cables or other infrastructure that may be located on their site. Once the enquiry has been made, the major infrastructure providers are notified of the site, job details and timing of the job. The asset owners can then respond directly to the job site with information about any hazards or issues with the proposed plans.
This open communication means the site is fully aware of any hazards, helping to keep workers safe and asset owners can know their infrastructure won’t be damaged or any outages caused. Is Dial Before You Dig mandatory in Melbourne and other states? Each state and territory has their own specific rules so familiarise yourself with the rules that exist in that region.
What to do in an emergency
Dial Before You Dig is not an emergency service and shouldn’t be treated as such. In the event of an emergency on-site, resulting from the damage to existing infrastructure the standard authorities should be notified by calling 000. In the event that anyone is hurt or any damage is done to the property, it’s imperative to notify the proper authorities. If there is any damage to the infrastructure on the site, it’s the responsibility of the site manager to notify the asset owner. Only the asset owner can issue the necessary communications about any outages and organise for the asset to be repaired as soon as possible, so it is important that you learn how to read Dial Before You Dig Plans.
Avoiding danger or damage
The best way to avoid dangers or any damage is to use the Dial Before You Dig service on your next site. At every stage of the project, the service can connect you to the infrastructure providers, helping to identify workarounds or suitable planning to avoid damage. Be sure to have detailed plans when you lodge your enquiry with Dial Before You Dig so that the infrastructure owners can provide accurate information to help execute a successful dig on site. If you’re looking for greater assurance, a Dial Before You Dig consultant can be hired to attend the site and help with any planning. It’s important to know that plans provided by asset owners will only identify the presence of an asset on the proposed site, not the exact location. Once you know there is an asset on-site, it’s important to work with the asset owner to plan accordingly.
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Avoiding emergency situations and severe danger on any construction site is critical to a successful project. One way to ensure a safe outcome is calling the Dial Before You Dig phone number or using the Australian Dial Before You Dig app. At some point, you will come across or have come across their merchandise. If you’ve never been sure what exactly it means, use this guide to better understand and access this national safety service and help ensure you Dial Before You Dig on your next job.
