Peter Ashcroft

Would you believe that only 140 years ago the streetlights in Britain were gas lamps? Yes, the first electric streetlights were turned on in 1878 along the Thames Embankment and near Holborn Viaduct...

HSG47 was produced by the HSE in 2014 and is the latest information on how to avoid danger from underground services. There are at least 1.5 million km of underground services in the UK, and may be a...

There are many hazards associated with carrying out any sort of excavation work. The simple fact is that wherever you are there are very likely to be underground services nearby carrying electricity...

Many public utilities are located underground and they deliver services to all the businesses and residents of a given community or area. From gas pipes to water lines and electric cables, various...

HSG47 is a guide from the HSE about avoiding the dangers of striking underground services when undertaking any form of digging or excavation work. It could apply to anyone anywhere, including a...

Undertaking any sort of excavation work can be highly dangerous if proper precautions are not taken. There are all sorts of underground services running sometimes only a foot or 18" below the surface...

Doing any kind of work which involves digging or even breaking the surface of the ground carries with it risk. Underground services can be absolutely anywhere, and they include electricity cables...

It is a fact of life that many contractors need to dig down into the ground for a variety of different purposes. It may be to install the foundations for a building, it could be to repair a faulty...

Every year in the UK there are some 60,000 cases of contractors striking underground cables, water pipes, gas pipes, telecoms, fibre-optic cables, and more. That works out to around 230 every working...

Any contractor undertaking any sort of excavation work has to take into account the fact that there may very well be underground pipes and cables in exactly the place where the excavation is to take...

The biggest problem facing any contractor who has to undertake any sort of excavation work – digging a hole, however big or small – is the fact that there are all sorts of services running under the...

When undertaking any form of excavation, it is necessary to consider whether there may be underground services on the site which is to be excavated or close by. This is for two major reasons, one of...

If you are thinking of buying a cable avoidance tool (CAT) there are a number of questions that you should consider. There are lots of CATs available and some are very good, but as with most things...

HSG47 is a guidance from the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) on how the dangers from striking underground utility services can be avoided when carrying out any kind of digging or excavation work...

It is estimated that over 4 million excavations take place across the UK each year. Most of the excavations take place without a thorough examination of existing underground assets. This results in...