Expert identification of underground assets

One of the biggest challenges during an excavation is avoiding damage to any underground pipes electrical cables and conduits.

Hydro vacuum excavation (also known as non-destructive digging – NDD - or evacuation) is used to dig precision holes over and around these assets to expose them, is widely used in the construction, civil and utilities industries.

The benefits mainly involve the large reduction in risk compared to mechanical excavation, jackhammering and drilling. This is because it avoids damaging underground utilities, surrounding materials and provides a major reduction in noise pollution and disturbing the local environment.

Hydro excavation offers a way to:

• Protect the asset and minimise the risk of damaging all underground assets;
• Safely identify the asset to determine actual depth, size and material;
• Reduce environmental impact with minimal surface disruption;
• Allow trenching for conduit laying in high existing service areas;
• Assist with minor and major civil works;
• Provide a safe and cost-effective services location;
• Allow for asset exposure, post hole digging, sign post digging, tree removal, optic fibre exposure and pit construction;
• Reduce reinstatement costs; and
• Reduce downtime associated with offsite NDD slurry removal and disposal.

Removing the risk or hazard of damaging the underground services is the main focus of any building work-site and using Excavac to safely identify these services is the safest way.

If you have critical infrastructure on your site such as fibre optic cables or high-pressure gas pipes or high voltage electricity cables, these also need to be identified before excavating.

To expedite the process around congested services without rushing the mechanical excavation and risking the project by a potential partial site flooding from a ruptured water pipe, then NDD is definitely recommended.

The same applies if are just looking to fulfil your duty of care when working around underground services and in turn, complete your obligations to your public liability insurance.

These critical services can be conducted from two to 30-metres.

Proudly Australian owned and operated, Excavac services the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, Illawarra, Sydney Metro and South Coast.

It has set the standard for more than a decade when it comes to NDD carried out by a team of qualified professionals operating a modern fleet of trucks and equipment and has been a trusted name to industry, government and private enterprise since 2007.