The Benefits of Utility Potholing

Potholing is one of the most common techniques used in construction and public works to expose the location of utility lines (both their vertical and horizontal locations). It is important for workers to know exactly where these important utilities are located before beginning other excavation work that could compromise them.

In the process, workers dig exploratory holes from the surface to particular depths to find utility lines that may be buried beneath.

Here are just a few of the reasons to pothole for utilities that show why this process is so important:

• Avoid utility interruptions to surrounding properties: If workers strike utility lines during excavation or construction work, it could cause outages or service interruptions to neighbors in the surrounding area. Obviously, this is something companies would like to avoid, both because they wish to prevent such an inconvenience as well as because it reflects poorly on the quality of their work if it occurs.
• Avoid the need for major repair work: Taking your time with potholing to find underground utilities allows you to accurately detect their presence so you don’t have to invest an unnecessary amount of time and resources into repairing them in the event of a mishap.
• It’s completely safe: There are a variety of methods of potholing used in construction and excavation, most of which are quite safe to use even in relatively condensed areas where precision is crucial.
• It solves issues with settlement: Even if you have a record of exactly where utility lines were located, there’s a chance those locations have shifted over time due to settlement in the earth. Potholing removes any risk of improper location for other building or excavating processes because it will allow you to find those utilities even if their location has changed over time.
• It’s a highly versatile excavation method: Potholing can be implemented in a wide range of applications, such as the placement of utility poles, poles and sign bases, fence installation, general construction and tree planting and other landscaping projects.
• It allows you to comply with regulations: State and local regulations for excavation are constantly in flux. But one of the most common requirements is that workers take appropriate measures to protect utilities. Potholing is one of the most effective ways of accomplishing this, so you can stay in compliance with these regulations and avoid potential fines and other consequences.
• Cost savings: Downtime and unexpected repairs can cost a company a lot of money. Potholing is a proactive method of finding utilities so you don’t have to worry about those unexpected expenses, saving you a significant amount of money in the long run. Think of it as a sort of insurance policy.

These are just a few examples of some of the biggest benefits associated with using utility potholing in any excavation or construction job to uncover hidden utilities below the earth’s surface. For more information about how the potholing process works or why you should prioritize its implementation, contact the team at ES7 Comm-2 U Inc. today.

Categorised in: Potholing Utilities

This post was written by Writer