How to Drill Underground Safely
Contractors dealing with underground excavation and drilling use different methods to accomplish their tasks. The varied techniques are chosen for their advantages the most common being speed, efficiency, affordability and the amount of environmental disturbance likely to occur. Like everything else, these methods come with different disadvantages. The only sure way to choose a favorable method as experts would advise is after considering the pros and cons of each available technique carefully.
From a safety perspective, you must look at the possible hazards that may arise from the drilling technique and device ways of eliminating them to guarantee the safety of workers and the public. Underground contractors have this as one of their major challenges. It is important that they prevent damage by calling in the necessary authorities to clearly mark the utilities that need to be changed or repaired. The only way to avoid any accidents is to identify and clearly mark these utilities.
After locating and marking, these underground utilities the next thing is to start drilling. It is important that an experienced worker tracks and handles the drilling equipment and direct device over or under the utilities. It is however very important for you to look at more than the underground facilities.
A safer approach would be to expose the utilities at regular intervals along the drill line just to make sure that they are in their respective positions. The flags and other different markings on the surface of the ground serve as an indication of approximate locations. Unfortunately, the dig safe locator that most people rely on can only give approximate lines on which the utility is installed and not their depths.
Be more cautious when dealing a parallel path to the utility, especially if it was left out when marking locations. You should watch out for indicators such as pole risers, manholes, pedestals and meters among other utility structures. Usually, sewers and water systems are overlooked because states do not require facility owners to be members of the one-call system. Go here if you wish to hire the best people in the drilling industry.
One other way to guarantee safe drilling is using the right equipment. Workers need to be properly trained based on the type of task they are going to handle. This is the only way to tell if they up to the task in addition to giving them the right to safety. However, no drilling should start before you confirm that all equipment including the safety apparatus are in good working condition. Workers must wear protective clothing and gadgets with the most common being eye and ear covers, insulated rubber gloves and footwear as well as highly visible clothes.
