Hydro excavation delivers high benefits for operators in the construction, electric, water and utilities industries due to its efficiency and precision. One of the top benefits is increased safety, but understanding the equipment, how it works and best practices is essential. Follow these tips to use your hydro excavation equipment safely.

Understand Your Jobsite

Before digging, always call 811 to identify the locations of buried utilities. This critical step can avoid accidents, injuries and work stoppages later. In 2016, there were more than 300,000 excavation incidents in North America, and many could have been avoided by taking this simple step.

Making a call to 811 is the simplest way to keep your community safe. When you call 811 before digging, you reduce the chance of striking a buried utility line to less than 1%.

A few days before digging, call 811 from anywhere in the country. Your call will be rerouted to a local call center. The operator will ask a few questions about your project, like what type of work you’ll be doing and where you plan to dig. This conversation will only take a few minutes, but remember, it can save lives!

Next, the operator will notify utility companies in the area of your plans. Each utility company will send a locator to mark the approximate location of your underground utility lines. This process typically takes up to three working days. Once the marks are placed, respect them! Dig carefully around them with care.

Mark Your Jobsite Properly

After locating underground utilities, mark off your job site using best practices and make sure your crew understands the boundaries. If your worksite is in a public area, use appropriate signage to indicate safety precautions.

Choose the Right Equipment

Another way to avoid disrupting underground utilities is to use a vacuum excavation truck for the job. Our non-mechanical, non-destructive, minimally disruptive and precise TRUVAC vacuum excavators allow you to safely and easily visually locate underground utilities.

Our team here at Haaker Underground is here to help you choose the best hydrovac excavation equipment for your needs, including TRUVAC and Pacific Tek equipment. Check out our inventory here and contact us today to choose the right truck for your job.