How to dig holes safely around underground utilities

Always have utility lines marked before you dig

Whether you are planning to dig post holes for a new fence, plant some trees or make repairs to the foundation of your home, find out where the underground utilities are before you start digging. Hitting underground utilities is a safety hazard and can be costly to repair. Knowing where they are will help you plan how to dig safely near them or know what areas of your yard to avoid.

Our safety experts have provided the following information so you know where you can dig safely and where you need to dig with extra care.

Why utility locating is important

We respond to incidents every year where homeowners or their contractors have contacted underground utility lines. Hitting an underground utility line, like power or natural gas, is dangerous. It can even be fatal. If a utility line is damaged you will likely experience an outage to your service and repairs can be time consuming and expensive, and under Ontario regulations, you could be held liable for all of it.

Did you know?

Red paint and flags are used to mark power lines, yellow marks natural gas lines, blue marks water lines, and green marks sewer lines.

Learn what all of the different utility locate colours mean.

Dig safely near underground utilities

Homeowners often ask how deep they can dig without getting utility locates?

Our answer is always the same - for any project, get locates before you start digging. As weather conditions and temperatures change, the ground settles and expands. This settling and expanding can also change the depth and location of the utility lines going to your home. If you need to dig within one metre of marked underground utility lines, ensure you or your contractor is taking every safety precaution to do it safely.

How to safely dig near underground utility lines

Use a shovel, not mechanical equipment: When digging within one metre of a utility line, the safest tool to use is a shovel with a curved blade. Do not use any mechanical tool. For example, never use a power auger to dig fence posts within one metre of the underground utility line locate marks.

Expose the line: We recommend exposing the utility line first. The ground could have shifted and moved the line slightly off from where the markings are. Once the utility lines are exposed you can see where they are and avoid hitting them when placing your fence posts or trees.

Tips for digging safely near utility lines

Position the shovel blade so that it's parallel to the line made by the paint and flags.
Dig with your shovel at an angle and not straight down. This angle lowers the chance of damaging the cable if you accidentally make contact.
Dig slowly and with care. The more carefully you dig, the less risk of damaging the cable.
Use a prying motion to loosen hard dirt near the utility line. Don't use your full body weight on the shovel. Never strike or jump on the shovel.
Be careful not to damage the utility line with your shovel as it can put you at risk of injury or death. It could also cause a service outage that is costly to repair.

How to excavate near utilities in your yard

If you are excavating around your home's foundation, trenching, or digging for any other reason, you must call before you dig and get utility locates.

The same guidelines above apply for utilities near your excavation site. Do not use mechanical equipment within 1 metre of underground utility lines.

If you have hired a contractor, ensure they have the utilities located and marked.

What to do if you hit an underground utility line

If you've hit a utility line or think you might have:

Stop digging immediately. Move at least 10 metres away from the area.
If someone is hurt, ask them to move from the area and immediately call 911. If the person cannot move by themself, do not try to move them.
If no one is hurt, call EPCOR. Report even minor damage to EPCOR as it could cause service outages in the future. We will do an assessment and determine if repairs are needed.

Click or call before you dig

Utility locating is a free service.
Click before you dig or call Ontario One Call at 1-800-242-3447 to find out where the utility lines are located in your yard. The service will mark the location of power, water, drainage, natural gas, internet, and cable television lines on your property with coloured paint and flags. This service can take up to a week after you make the call.