To disable the drill string, some manufacturers offer radio-controlled lockout systems. By the careless use of a radio button, "Don't rotate" can become "Rotate."Īustin points out another major safety rule: Don't work on the drill string unless the drill string is disabled. The use of a two-way radio can be tricky-every command should be fully confirmed by the receiver. Good visual contact is not always possible, so you must set up radio protocols ahead of time. It's important for the drill operator to establish good communication with his tracking operator out in front. If an electrical strike occurs, the ground can become energized and people can be shocked and possibly electrocuted. ![]() Keep spectators away, especially if you're drilling around electrical lines. "Rely on common sense and factor in drill pipe length, pitch, ground conditions and thrust pressure," notes the AEM video.īefore the bore starts, secure the job site, Austin says. You should resolve deviations in bore-tracking information, such as pitch information that is not consistent with depth information. Or they can be passive sources, such as reinforcing steel in concrete. Such interference can be active, as with radio and TV transmitters and electronic dog fences. All current bore-tracking devices use electromagnetic fields, and the fields are subject to interference. Take care with the information from your bore-tracking devices, warns an industry safety video produced by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). Obviously, more potholes cost more money, but utility strikes are expensive-and dangerous. "Locates may not show how electrical lines have been looped at splice points," according to a new safety video from the Underground Contractors Association of Illinois. You want to do enough potholes so that you don't miss any utilities-their locations may vary from the marks. Austin cites OSHA CFR 29 1926.651 as the rule requiring utility exposure. You can manually dig-or you can "pothole" the utility using vacuum excavation or a hydro-excavation machine with a water jet. "There is an OSHA requirement to expose all utilities before you dig or drill," Austin says. Next, a call goes out to the state's one-call locating service, and the utility owners typically send out persons trained to mark their utilities.Įxposing the existing utilities comes next. With a bore plan in hand, a competent person must visit the site and mark the route of the line. Make sure that you plan the pipe depth and route so that the bend radius of your product pipe can go around or well under any obstacles. While a complete review of HDD safety practices is beyond the scope of this column, we'll spotlight here some of the more vital points for contractors. All states have one-call systems that result in utility "locates." Recently, says Gregg Austin, product safety and compliance engineer with Vermeer Manufacturing Company in Pella, IA, Congress passed legislation that will make available one national three-digit number that will refer people to the state or local one-call service. The good news is that the HDD industry has learned a great deal about how to prevent these accidents. Workers can be caught and seriously injured or killed in rotating drill equipment. In recent years, gas line explosions have resulted from strikes by directional drills working in both Maryland and Colorado, causing significant property damage.Īccidents also can result from the improper use of HDD machines and related equipment. And gas line strikes can cause explosions. The drill operator or person guiding the bore can be electrocuted. The most dangerous strikes can occur when a drill hits an electric or gas line. Probably the most prevalent one is a utility strike. Relative to trenching, HDD often offers greater productivity, less surface disruption, and lower material handling costs.īut along with those benefits come very serious dangers. Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) has dramatically changed the way underground contractors place underground utility lines, from gas and electricity to water and television cable. Editor's note: This article first appeared in the November/December 2004 edition of Grading and Excavation Contractor.
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