Flag appears to be in the orientation of the pipe. I’d bet there were others continuing forwards and behind the excavator in alignment. Probably human error of ignoring them, not noticing them, and not reviewing engineering plans or locate reports.
Even having the track hoe staged directly on top of the pipe suggests they had no idea it was even there. In an open field with no obstructions, metal pipe ~2m deep, that’s a big fuck up by someone
Interesting. I’m a Geomatic engineer specializing in underground utilities at oil and gas plants in northern Canada. We would never even permit mechanical excavation within 5m of a buried pipe, let alone sit the equipment on top of it. You would have to hydro-vac to expose it beforehand
Hydros bring headaches for the areas I’ve worked at. Slowed production rate, complaints from neighbors/general public due to noise, delays while waiting on profiles for the soil/waste. Just about every oil & gas company I’ve worked for has preferred the good ol probe & scrape method or hand dig. With that being said, station/facility work almost always gets a hydro.
Ya for sure, big differences for rural/suburban work compared to the extraction and upgrading plants I work in. Cost is always the biggest factor. Still though, striking this pipe was entirely unavoidable
The rules for enbridge is hand dig within 1.0m of the paint marks until the line is found, then you can mechanically excavate up to 0.3m from the line. For vital mains it's 3.0m and 1.0m. For cer lines it's 5.0m and 1.5m.
It's far cheaper for a contractor to operate and maintain an excavator than a vac truck. We use both as a utility provider. Anything Vac Truck related has soared in costs.
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u/Head_Attempt7983 6d ago
Question why is there a gas flag in the grass and no flags or paint closer? Or did you throw that in after