We all spend a lot of time on public utility locates – learning, talking, planning, arranging, interpreting, and so much more. We have discussed the topic in our articles before but have yet to bring up the world of private locates.
Limited access drilling is our expertise; private utility locates are very important to us; however, they are not our area of proficiency. The best information we have encountered on this topic is the “Private Utility Locate Guideline” prepared in 2020. This document was prepared by Own Your Safety, a company specializing in providing information and training related to working in the vicinity of underground utilities.
You can access this excellent document by clicking here.
A proliferation in companies offering private utility locate services has come with increased awareness of private utilities. It has become evident to us that there is a very large discrepancy in the quality of these services. With on-the-job experience, we have identified companies that provide quality in their field inspections, their choice of equipment, and the documentation they provide. We are drillers, not geophysicists, so we cannot advise on the best methods for you to use, but it is incumbent on those hiring the private locator to ensure they are hiring someone competent. The Own Your Safety document referenced above should help you with that process.
We have reviewed and rejected several bad private utility locate reports in the past. It can be quite frustrating to everyone when we are at a site ready to drill, and the private locates are so poorly done that we cannot proceed with drilling.
Although we won’t publish those bad locates, we have enclosed an example of what we believe is a good private locate report, click here to access it.