Before you dig: service checks before stump and root work

Stump grinding, root removal and subsoil mulching can damage underground services. Even surface work can put machinery close to exposed assets or shallow private lines. Check the full working footprint before the job, not just the spot where the first stump stands.

Lodge the enquiry for the actual work area

Submit a Before You Dig Australia enquiry covering the proposed work and dates. BYDA passes it to participating asset owners, who supply their information and requirements. Wait for the relevant responses and read the instructions; submitting a request is not the same as receiving and reviewing every response.

Include access and any areas where below-ground work is proposed. If the work changes area or timing, check whether updated plans or enquiries are needed. Retain the responses with the marked job plan.

Plans do not locate the service for you

Drawings can be indicative, incomplete or different from what is actually in the ground. Do not infer a safe working depth from a line on a map, or treat a blank plan as proof nothing is buried. Asset-owner instructions, locating and suitable confirmation on-site determine the safe method.

Arrange a competent service locator and, where required, safe physical verification with the asset owner's instructions followed. Non-destructive digging or potholing may be part of that process; it is specialist work, not permission for an owner to dig around a live cable by hand.

Private services need their own checks

Power to sheds and pumps, irrigation, stock-water lines, septic systems and private drains may not appear in participating utility plans. Bring records, contact previous owners where useful and identify uncertain areas for locating. Owner markings help the assessment but do not prove the depth or position.

An apparently abandoned line should not be assumed disconnected. Have the appropriate trades or asset owner confirm its status and make it safe where necessary.

Plan the machinery and exclusions

Mark confirmed assets and agreed exclusion areas. Consider overhead lines along the access route as well as underground ones. Agree where the machine can work and which stumps or roots must remain until a safe method is confirmed. There is no universal clearance distance that can be supplied for every asset in a blog article.

Stop if the site does not match the information

If a line, marker, chamber or unknown object is found, stop work in the affected area and seek clarification. Do not pull it out to see what it is. If a service is struck, keep clear, follow the asset owner's emergency instructions and call emergency services where there is danger. Restart only once it has been made safe.

Ironbark supplies vegetation and suitable stump or root work within an assessed scope, not utility disconnection or general excavation. Subsoil mulching is optional work, not an automatic second stage after clearing.

• Before You Dig Australia — enquiry and safe work guidance