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This process applies to planting, fence posts, patios, drainage, foundations, driveways and any other work that disturbs the ground. The detailed sequence below follows UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and network-operator guidance; requirements and notification services differ elsewhere, so use your own electricity network operator or one-call service rather than assuming UK arrangements apply.
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Why an unidentified underground cable is a stop-work hazard
Striking an underground electricity cable can cause fatal or severe injury through electric shock, arcing and burns. A cable may look like a pipe or another harmless service, and its appearance cannot tell you whether it is live. The safe assumption is that an unidentified service could be energised until the responsible network operator confirms otherwise. HSE safety guidance explains the planning and excavation controls at Underground cables.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Landscaping work is not automatically low risk. A narrow hole for a tree, fence post or lighting cable can reach a service just as surely as a foundation trench. Vibration, a pick striking a shallow service or a machine bucket pulling a cable can create danger even when the planned excavation is small. Keep the work area under control until services have been identified, marked and physically confirmed.
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1. Define the work area and identify the correct local process
Draw the boundary of the work you intend to do, including access for excavators, spoil piles, temporary fencing, drainage runs and any later phase. Plans and utility searches need to cover the whole area that could be disturbed, not only the point where a post or footing will be installed.
The title does not specify a country. In the UK, start with the local electricity network operator and the relevant utility-plan service. HSE advises obtaining plans for all buried services before excavation, because electricity, gas, water, telecommunications and other networks may be owned by different organisations. Outside the UK, use the electricity distributor or mandated one-call service for your jurisdiction and ask what additional private-line locating is required.
Record the date of each request, the area supplied, the organisations contacted and any conditions attached to the information. Give the person carrying out the locating work the same drawings and site boundary so the records, field marks and excavation all refer to one agreed area.
2. Request plans before anyone breaks ground
Ask for available service plans or other records covering the exact site. HSE says plans should be obtained and reviewed before excavation. National Grid’s UK guidance similarly directs people to contact their local energy network operator for plans before digging; its explanation is at How to dig safely.
Plans are valuable for showing the expected number and approximate position of services, but they are not a survey. HSE’s wording is precise: “Plans give only an indication of the location, and number of underground services in the area.” A line on a drawing can be offset from the cable in the ground, symbols can vary between plan sets and older records may not show later alterations. Do not set out a fence, footing or machine route from a plan line alone.
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Check who may own a service
Ask whether the records include customer-owned or privately installed cables. A service feeding a detached building, private lighting, a gate or an outbuilding may not be part of the network operator’s asset records. Check with the property owner, previous contractors and building records for installations that may have been added after the utility plans were issued.
When plans cannot be obtained
If information is unavailable in an urgent situation, HSE guidance says to proceed as if buried services are present. That does not mean guessing a route and digging slowly; it means stopping to establish a controlled locating and safe-digging method before excavation continues.
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Plans should guide a field search, not replace it. A competent, trained person should use suitable locating equipment to trace the services shown on the plans, interpret the signal and mark the route clearly on the ground. HSE states that people who use a locator should have received thorough training in its use and limitations. Its related advice on mapping, locating and marking is available at Work near electricity.
CAT and Genny in the UK sequence
National Grid describes a practical UK sequence: obtain plans, use a cable avoidance tool (CAT) and signal generator (often called a Genny) to locate and mark the cables shown on those plans, then hand-dig trial holes to establish the exact positions. A CAT can detect signals from a suitable source; the signal generator is used where an appropriate connection or induced signal is available. The operator must understand the particular equipment, its settings and the conditions that can produce weak, misleading or absent signals.
Mark the route, not just a single point
Mark the detected alignment continuously enough for the excavation crew to understand where the service runs and where it changes direction. Transfer the marks to the current work drawing or site plan, identify who made them and note when they were checked. Protect or refresh marks that could be removed by rain, traffic, grading or spoil. Locate again as the work progresses, especially when the excavation widens, moves into a new area or the marks are disturbed. A locator is an aid to finding services; it cannot certify that every cable has been detected or that an unidentified cable is dead.
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4. Confirm the position with trial holes and safe hand digging
Once the route has been marked, expose a small section by careful hand digging to confirm the service’s actual position, depth and direction before committing to the main excavation. The purpose of a trial hole is to verify the physical service, not to test how close a machine can work to a drawn line.
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HSE recommends excavating alongside a service rather than directly over it, with final exposure by horizontal digging. Work progressively so the tool edge approaches the service from the side, where contact is less likely to drive a tool into it. Use suitable insulated hand tools when hand digging near electrical cables, as HSE advises. Insulation reduces one hazard; it does not make it safe to strike, lever against or cut a cable.
Keep mechanical plant out of the unconfirmed zone
Do not allow a mechanical excavator, auger, breaker or powered post driver to follow a plan line on the assumption that the cable is elsewhere. Keep people who are not involved in the locating and exposure work outside the excavation and maintain a clear communication system between the locator, banksman and operator. If the exposed item does not match the plan, stop and have the route re-evaluated rather than treating the discrepancy as proof that the record is wrong.
5. Apply the method to common landscaping and construction jobs
Planting trees, shrubs and beds
Include every proposed planting hole in the search area, including temporary access for a mini-digger or soil delivery. Mark confirmed cable routes before setting out the planting grid. If a route crosses the bed, redesign the planting positions or obtain instructions from the network operator; do not assume that a shallow-looking cable can be safely bridged by adding soil.
Fence posts, gates and retaining structures
Locate the full line of posts, gate hinges, anchors and retaining-wall foundations. A service can run parallel to a boundary and turn toward a building, so checking one post location does not clear the next one. Confirm each trial hole before using powered equipment, and preserve the route marks while the fence line is being adjusted.
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Patios, driveways, drainage and foundations
Search the entire footprint and all service trenches, not just the perimeter. Foundations and drainage often require deeper or longer excavations, increasing the consequences of a route error. Build the confirmed cable positions into the setting-out drawing and agree a hold point with the person supervising the excavation before plant enters the area.
Plans, locator readings and trial holes: what each method can and cannot do
| Method | What it contributes | Important limitation | Who should carry it out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility or network plans | Shows the expected location and number of recorded services and identifies the likely asset owner. | Indicates approximate position; it is not a precise field survey and may not include private or recently altered cables. | The relevant network operator or utility-plan service supplies the information; the site team must review it. |
| Locator survey | Traces detectable services on the ground and allows their routes to be marked for the excavation team. | Performance depends on the equipment, signal, ground conditions, service construction and operator skill; a negative reading is not proof that no cable exists. | A competent, trained locator user who understands the device and its limitations. |
| Hand-dug trial holes | Physically confirms the position and direction at selected points before larger excavation. | Confirms only the areas actually exposed; careless vertical digging can still damage a service. | Trained workers using suitable hand and insulated tools under an agreed safe-digging method. |
These controls complement one another. Plans help decide where to search, the locator translates records into marked routes, and trial holes confirm the route in the ground. None of the three, used alone, proves that an excavation area is clear.
6. Manage the work after services are marked
Brief everyone who will enter the work area on the marked routes, the limits of the excavation and the stop-work signal. Keep the current plans and locating notes available at the point of work. Include service risks in the task risk assessment and method statement, following the applicable local rules; HSE’s electricity guidance provides the UK framework for this planning.
- Recheck the route when the work moves beyond the original search area.
- Refresh paint, flags or other marks after weather, traffic or grading could have moved or obscured them.
- Keep excavated material, barriers and vehicles from collapsing an exposed service or hiding the marks.
- Stop if the discovered service differs from the plan, the locator signal changes unexpectedly or an unidentified cable appears.
- Do not resume until the competent person and, where necessary, the network operator have reassessed the route.
Do not rely on consumer-level locator instructions that promise complete detection, and do not treat insulated tools, slow digging or a shallow hole as a guarantee of safety. The control is the complete sequence of records, trained locating, marking, trial holes and disciplined excavation.
7. What to do if you uncover or damage a cable
If a cable is exposed but appears intact
Stop the excavation and keep people and plant away from the exposed service. Do not touch, move, support, clean or cover it, and do not assume that an undamaged sheath means it is safe. Contact the responsible electricity network operator for instructions and re-establish the work method before continuing.
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If a cable is struck, cut or otherwise damaged in the UK
National Grid gives this emergency instruction: “If you damage an underground cable, vacate the excavation immediately, phone your electricity network operator emergency number (or 105) and keep everybody clear of the area.” Treat the excavation and surrounding ground as dangerous, prevent anyone from approaching and follow the operator’s directions. Do not return for tools or attempt a repair.
The number 105 is the UK electricity emergency contact route described by National Grid. If you are elsewhere, use your local electricity emergency number and the emergency procedure required by your utility or regulator; do not assume 105 operates in your country.
8. Understand one-call and private-line limits
In the United States, local one-call systems have their own coverage and notice rules. USA North 811 explains that it is not itself a locating service and that some privately owned lines may not be marked, including examples such as landscape lighting or electricity serving a detached garage. Its service information is at USA North 811.
That limitation matters in any jurisdiction: a utility mark-out generally covers the participating utility’s assets, not every cable installed by a homeowner, developer or private contractor. Ask the local service what is included, comply with the required notice period and arrange a competent private-line locator for unmarked customer-owned services where necessary. Keep the network operator’s plans and the private survey together so the excavation crew has one coordinated service picture.
9. When to bring in outside help
Use a competent locating contractor or ask the network operator for assistance when the site is congested, records conflict, signals are difficult to interpret, work is close to a high-voltage service, or your crew lacks current locator training. Before work starts, ask the person responsible for locating to explain:
- Which plans and service owners were checked.
- What equipment will be used and what its detection limitations are.
- How routes will be marked and recorded.
- Where trial holes are required and who will expose them.
- How often locating will be repeated during the job.
- What stop-work and emergency actions apply if a cable is found or damaged.
These questions distinguish a documented, competent process from a quick scan that leaves the excavation team to interpret uncertain marks.
Quick Recap
Pre-dig checklist
- Define the full work and access area, including future phases and temporary machine routes.
- Identify the correct local electricity network operator, utility-plan service or one-call system.
- Request plans for the exact area and check which other buried-service owners may be involved.
- Ask whether private or customer-owned cables are excluded and arrange additional locating if needed.
- Review the plans with the site supervisor and treat every line as approximate.
- Have a trained, competent person trace services with suitable locating equipment.
- Mark the detected routes clearly, record the date and refresh marks when disturbed.
- Hand-dig trial holes alongside the marked route, using horizontal exposure and suitable insulated tools near electrical cables.
- Confirm each route before mechanical excavation, drilling or post installation.
- Repeat locating when the work area, ground condition or marks change.
- Brief the crew on exclusion zones, communication and the stop-work signal.
- If a cable is damaged, leave the excavation, keep everyone clear and call the appropriate electricity emergency service.
Official guidance and further reading
- Health and Safety Executive: Underground cables — plans, locating equipment, training and safe excavation near buried electrical services.
- National Grid: How to dig safely — UK sequence of plans, CAT and Genny locating, trial holes and cable-damage response.
- Health and Safety Executive: Work near electricity — service maps, marking, locating and risk-assessment advice.
- UK Power Networks: Builders urged to stay safe around live cables — network-operator safety advice for work near live cables.
- USA North 811 — information on one-call coverage and the limits of utility marking for private lines.
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