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| Utility Safety for
Horizontal Directional Drilling |
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Everyone’s resources have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You can help prevent locate delays by pre-marking your proposed dig area in white and notifying 811 of your planned excavation with as much lead time as possible: up to 14 calendar days in California.
To learn more about PG&E’s response to COVID-19, click here. |
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| Using a horizontal directional drill (HDD) is like threading a large needle through a maze of existing underground utilities—while blindfolded! Subterranean smarts and safe drilling practices are keys to success. |
Order our complimentary worker safety training kit on the PG&E
e-SMARTworkers website. |
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| Subterranean Smarts |
| It’s always essential to notify 811 to have underground utility lines located and marked before beginning work, but you’ve got to take it a step further when you use trenchless technology: |
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Be sure to say you are using HDD equipment when you speak to the 811 operator or when completing your online ticket request. |
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Pre-mark your proposed route with white paint, stakes, and/or flags. This will help locators identify all utility lines in your excavation area. |
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Consider soil conditions. Many factors, including sandy soil or a shallow water table, will affect the depth at which you can safely drill without cave-in worries. |
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| Safe Drilling Practices |
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Dig potholes to the depth of your planned excavation to confirm the exact depth and location of any buried utilities that cross or are parallel to your bore path. If using a hydrovac, use higher flow, less pressure, and a spinner tip to prevent damage to underground facilities. |
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Use your potholes to watch the drill head cross utility lines during the initial bore, and also during backreaming to ensure you maintain the required clearance. |
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Calibrate. Be sure to calibrate your bore head and locating device before every job. |
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Don’t forget the backream. Remember, your locating device will monitor the bore head on the pilot pass, but may not be able to monitor the backream head. Plan accordingly if you have to expand the diameter of your bore before installation. |
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| Would You Like to Know More? |
| Additional safety tips, case studies, instructional videos, and training tools can all be found, at no charge to you, on PG&E’s e-SMARTworkers website. |
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