5 Things to Keep in Mind Before Starting an Excavation Project

Despite some basic overviews provided in schools, people rarely know what's going on beneath their feet. It pays to be cautious when digging around, even in your own backyard. 

With large-scale excavation projects, this becomes even more of an issue. Not knowing means the difference between a new construction going forward and a costly series of setbacks. Fortunately, we've done excavation in Saskatchewan for years and know what to look out for.

The dangers of staring in on an excavation project include knowledge, some more knowledge, and finally, how to use that knowledge. 

Check out these quick tips of what goes on before a project begins. 

Starting Excavation in Saskatchewan?

Safety is crucial to seeing a project through to completion. That's why it's important to know the Excavation and Teaching Safely Guide in and out. Make sure all utilities are located and clearly marked both horizontally and vertically ( hydrovac , hand digging , Stakes , ribbons ,etc.).

To save you some time, here are the bullet points to consider.

1. Learn the Ground                                                                                                                                                                    
Not all soil compositions are the same. Some are going to come up easy and pack down tight, others are a mess of loose chunks and hard-hitting rock. 

Knowing the soil helps to understand how construction material sill fare when buried. It also pays to know the conditions of erosion and runoff that can happen during and after construction. 

Utilities are increasingly located underground and you want to make those out before digging starts. Being the reason your neighborhood loses internet is grounds for a stoning, after all. 

2. Make a Plan

A project rarely goes exactly to specs, so it's important to know how to plan for the right kind of excess and margins. For excavation, this means going a little further out, knowing how deep is deep, and learning about other elements both within the soil and above it.

The plan guides the project to be complete within a timeframe that ensures the other discovery about the soil, utilities, and evac plans, and so on are accurate.

Finally, a plan guides the stages of construction to prevent bringing in heavier machiner once under-surface elements have been introduced.

3. Work Safely and Have an Emergency Response Plan

Nobody wants to be trapped underground or have something fall on them. A safety plan needs to consider how quickly a set of workers can exit and under what conditions.

Emergency exit plans consider both how to get people out and how to shore up the project as it goes to prevent collapses and slides.

Ensure everyone on the project is aware of and following Saskatchewan OH & S regulations and requirements for a safe excavation project.

4. Be Selective on Machines

The size of a machine relates to the speed at which it can get a job done, but bigger is not always better.

The utility locations and soil composition need to be considered when machines are brought in. Slower digging makes a project take longer but a ripped up a pipe or a huge land-mover on unstable ground will create bigger, and more costly delays. 

5. Provide Notice

Finally, you want to know the scope of a project so that you can provide proper notice. That can involve putting up signs to redirect traffic, permits for the work, and official notices to the local municipality for the work by type. 

Dig Safe

Getting invested in an excavation in Saskatchewan is best done by an experienced excavation company. Many of these points go over knowing the land and how to see a project through.

If you need an excavating contractor in Saskatchewan, contact WF Botkin Construction and get your project going faster and safer today.