Record-breaking numbers of people in the UK are searching for pipes and cables before they put a digger bucket or spade in the ground, according to Digging up Britain 2023. More than 3.75 million search enquiries were placed in 2022 by the UK’s safe digging community, which includes anyone within the agriculture sector, from farmers and fencers through to engineers and tree surgeons.
The annual report by LSBUD, which provides an accurate barometer of digging activity across the country, reveals that 384,072 more searches were placed in 2022 than the previous year, a 12 percent increase. To put the total number of searches in perspective, there were more in 2022 than the number of steps the average person takes each year.
Within the agriculture sector there was a 38 percent increase in underground asset searches, increasing to 8,387. This is a significant rise, although there is a long way to go given DEFRA states there are over 300,000 agriculture workers in the UK.
Richard Broome, MD at LSBUD, comments: “It is wonderful to witness such an increase in searches, especially given the growth the safe digging industry has experienced over the past five years. Farmers have taken a substantial step in the right direction over the past two years, with a definitive move away from ‘I know my fields like the back of my hand’ to being more conscious of the dangers that exist below them.
“There is certainly room to grow, especially when you consider that roughly 1 in 35 farmers are currently performing underground searches. We want to build on this momentum and make safe digging more engrained in agricultural life than ever before.”
Further to this, the Digging Up Britain report suggests that two thirds of UK agricultural workers know someone that has struck an underground pipe or cable whilst digging. 11 percent of these incidents ended up in injury and three percent resulted in fatality.
With 57 percent of UK farmers doing considerable excavation on their land at least once a month, 11 percent doing so daily, and a further 11 percent digging on a weekly basis, the scale of work taking place without the essential searches is clear.
To go with the volume, the depth of the excavation is also significant. Nearly two thirds (62 percent) of UK agriculture workers are digging down three feet or more, with one quarter of all projects reaching depths of more than six foot. Despite the risks this poses, 25 percent of UK farmers admit that they do not check for the whereabouts of underground pipes and cables before digging.
Richard Broome concludes: “2022 was the best ever year for the safe digging community, and the farming community in particular. Pipes and cables were better protected than ever before, and those working near them were safer. Of course, there is room for improvement, and that is what we push for, however we wanted to extend a thank you to every farmer, fencer and contractor who searches before they dig. It is good practice, it is safe, and it is sensible. Remember, always search before you dig.”