Are You Hiring Competent Excavators?

If you are an asset owner, project manager, or organization that hires and directs excavation contractors, an important question must be asked before work begins: how do you know the people digging on your project are competent?

Buried facility damage remains one of the most significant and costly risks in excavation work. In 2017 alone, reported damages exceeded hundreds of millions of dollars in direct and indirect costs. While asset owners absorb a portion of these losses, the broader public often bears the greatest impact through service disruptions, safety incidents, and societal costs.

Experience Is Not the Same as Competency

When hiring excavation contractors, employers often look for experience, recognized qualifications, and general health and safety training. While these are important, they do not fully address the unique risks associated with working around buried utility infrastructure.

The challenge is that the utility locate environment is complex. Regulations, standards, guidelines, and best practices related to buried facilities are fragmented and constantly evolving. This creates uncertainty for employers who are trying to ensure their workers are properly trained and compliant.

The Real Question Employers Are Asking

Across the industry, the same concern is raised repeatedly:How do we ensure our workers are properly trained and that we have done our due diligence?

For many tasks, mandatory training programs provide a baseline level of assurance. However, excavation around buried facilities introduces risks that extend beyond task based training. Workers must understand how public and private locate systems function, how to interpret locate reports, and how to recognize when information is missing or incomplete.

Competency Requires Understanding the Locate Process

A competent excavator is not someone who simply follows marks on the ground. Competency means understanding:

• The complexity and risk associated with buried facilities

• The importance of regulations, standards, guidelines, and industry practices

• How public and private locate processes differ and interact

• Why locate reports and ground markings have limitations

• The responsibility to question conditions that do not make sense

Without this knowledge, workers are forced to rely on assumptions. Assumptions are where risk lives.

Why This Matters to Asset Owners

When damage occurs, asset owners and employers are often required to demonstrate due diligence. This includes showing that workers were properly trained and that reasonable steps were taken to manage risk.

Employing workers who understand the locate process helps to:

• Reduce damage to buried facilities

• Prevent costly project delays and overruns

• Establish accountability across contractors and subcontractors

• Demonstrate due diligence in the event of an incident

• Support a strong safety culture focused on awareness and ownership

A Shared Language on Site

One of the most overlooked benefits of proper excavation awareness training is alignment. When everyone on a project understands the same terminology, risks, and expectations, communication improves and errors decrease.

Competency is not about knowing everything. It is about knowing enough to recognize when to stop, ask questions, and seek clarification before damage occurs.