Page 78 - BCCGA Best Practices Version 3.0

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4-21 EXPOSED FACILITY PROTECTION
PRACTICE STATEMENT: Ground disturbers support and protect exposed
underground facilities from damage.
PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: Protecting exposed underground facilities is as
equally important as preventing damage to facilities when excavating around
the utility. This practice helps to ensure the utility does not get damaged, while
at the same time protect the employees who are working in the area of the
exposed facility.
The soil around the facility may no longer be able to support nor protect the
facility, causing it to shift, separate, or become damaged. To prevent this, the
ground disturber can protect the exposed facility by adding a support or brace.
Methods include shoring the facility from below or providing a timber support
with hangers across the top of an excavation.
The ground disturber must ensure to instruct workers not to climb on, strike, or
try to move exposed facilities. These actions can lead to the following results:
Ÿ Damage to protective coatings
Ÿ Bending of conduits
Ÿ Separation of pipe joints
Ÿ Damage to cable insulation and fibre optics, and
Ÿ Affect the integrity of the facility in some way
REFERENCE: Existing acts and regulations.
4-22 LOCATE REQUEST UPDATES
PRACTICE STATEMENT: It is a best practice to define the life of a ticket. If the
excavation continues past the date shown on the ticket, the ground disturber
contacts the one-call centre in order to refresh the ticket.
PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: The maximum life of the ticket should be 30
calendar days from the date the locate was requested (unless otherwise
specified by federal or provincial law). If the excavation activity has not started
within 14 calendar days of placing the request or the excavation activity needs
to extend beyond 30 calendar days from the date the locate was requested the
ground disturber will need to refresh the ticket through the one-call centre.
Best Practices Version 3.0