Permit to dig template

A permit to dig is a controlled authorisation for a defined excavation at a defined place and time. It should show what is to be disturbed, who has checked the service information, how buried services will be located and exposed, which ground and access controls apply, and who may stop or release the work. A signature on an incomplete form does not make the excavation safe. Use the template below only after the site team has completed the underlying planning and checks.

This is a Great Britain construction template. It is intended to sit beside the excavation risk assessment, method statement and construction phase plan. It is not a substitute for a utility operator's conditions, a competent temporary-works design, traffic-management approval or the site's own permit procedure.

The Health and Safety Executive's HSG47 describes three linked elements of safe work near underground services: plan the work; locate and identify services; excavate safely. A useful permit makes those three elements visible to everyone in the work area. HSE also says work should not start until the risks from underground services have been identified and prevented, and that excavation supports or battering need appropriate inspection. See its excavation guidance.

Copyable permit to dig form

Copy this form into your site document system, then replace every bracketed field with verified project information. A blank field means the permit is not ready for issue. Add project-specific fields where required by the principal contractor, client, utility owner or highway authority.

A. Permit identity and limits

Attach a marked-up drawing. “Area behind building” is rarely precise enough. Show the dig boundary, known and suspected service routes, no-dig areas, access/egress, spoil position, plant route and exclusion zone. Use a new permit or formal reauthorisation when the footprint, depth, method, ground conditions or service information changes. Do not extend validity merely by changing a date on an old form.

B. Information and detection record

Service plans are evidence, not a guarantee that the service is in exactly the place or depth shown. A locator also has limitations. The permit should record both sources and what was actually found on site. If a pipe or cable is not found where expected, or a previously unknown line appears, stop and investigate before continuing. HSE's underground cable guidance explains the need for location and careful trial holes; it also cautions that a cable's appearance does not prove it is dead.

C. Excavation and site controls

For each line below record Yes / No / Not applicable, the control reference, a responsible person and any action still open. “Not applicable” should have a reason.

There is no universal safe digging distance that can be copied into every permit. The relevant service type, operator instruction, tool and site conditions decide the method and limits. For example, HSE's pipeline FAQ gives specific precautions for gas mains; it should not be silently generalised to every pipe, cable and excavation. If conditions demand a specialist utility or engineering instruction, record it and hold the permit until it arrives.

D. Briefing and release

Pre-start briefing record

• Drawing, markings and physical dig boundary shown to the entire work party: [time / names].
• Known services, uncertain areas and trial-hole method explained: [reference].
• Plant operator, banksman, hand-dig team and supervisor responsibilities agreed: [names].
• Stop-work trigger and incident reporting route understood: [names / contact].
• Any adjacent work, occupancy or traffic interfaces coordinated: [arrangement].

Hold point before breaking ground

Permit issuer: “I have reviewed the attached information and checked that the specified controls are in place for this defined work scope.” Name/signature/date/time: [ ].

Permit receiver/supervisor: “I understand the limits, sequence, unknowns and stop-work conditions; I will brief the work party and supervise the work.” Name/signature/date/time: [ ].

Do not sign until the listed evidence exists and open actions have been closed. The issuer's and receiver's roles should follow the project's permit procedure. A client or principal contractor may require further approvals.

E. During-work checks and change control

Record when work starts, each shift handover, excavation inspection, trial-hole result and significant change. HSE says a competent person must inspect relevant excavation supports or battering at the start of the working shift and after specified events; some inspections require a written report. The permit should reference the inspection record rather than pretend that its issue signature is a permanent inspection certificate.

Stop work and withdraw or suspend this permit if: an unknown service appears; the service is damaged or disturbed; markers and plans disagree; ground moves, cracks or floods; support is missing or damaged; an exclusion zone cannot be maintained; the team changes method or depth beyond the authorisation; the permit expires; or the supervisor cannot account for the controls. Make the area safe, notify the relevant owner/operator where needed, reassess and reauthorise. Do not cover a damaged service or continue digging to “finish the trench.”

F. Completion and close-out

An open excavation needs continuing edge, access, stability and public controls even when digging has paused. Close-out must identify who now owns those controls. Keep the permit, attachments and inspection records under the project's document-retention rules, and provide as-built information to the people maintaining the asset.

How to use the template on a real job

Suppose a crew needs a shallow trench across a paved yard to reach a drainage run. The client drawing shows a buried electrical cable nearby. Before issue, the team obtains current service information, walks the site, scans the marked area and records what the locator finds. The proposed route is adjusted to avoid the cable where practicable. The supervisor plans careful exposure at the crossing, verifies the cable's location and agrees the excavation support, plant route and yard-user exclusion. The permit states the exact dig limits, the trial-hole hold point and who may release mechanical excavation after the crossing is exposed. If the cable is absent from the expected position or an unidentified service is uncovered, the team stops and rechecks with the service owner. A signed permit without those decisions would add paperwork without reducing the hazard.

On another job, a foundation trench lies near a wall and an existing gas main. The site team should not assume a service depth or rely on the first scan. It must obtain the operator's information and conditions, consider the effect of excavation on the wall, and agree support and digging methods with competent people. If the ground condition differs from the plan, the permit is reauthorised after the method changes. This is why the document needs space for changes, not just a preprinted checklist.

Common permit mistakes

• Treating drawings as exact. Plans should be compared with visible clues, detection results and careful exposure.
• Scanning only the trench centreline. The wider working area matters because plant, trial holes and service routes do not respect a pencil line.
• Using a generic depth or offset rule. It may be wrong for the service, operator or ground condition.
• Authorising an open-ended area or period. A defined location, depth, method and validity make the permit enforceable.
• Missing the excavation itself. Services are one risk; collapse, falls, nearby structures, water and plant movement also need control.
• Confusing signatures with physical controls. The working party still needs verified marks, barriers, support and a live briefing.
• Failing to reauthorise after a discovery. A new service, changed depth or unstable ground can invalidate the method.
• Ignoring close-out. A partly open trench remains a hazard after the digging crew leaves.

Permit to dig, RAMS and the construction phase plan

These documents do different jobs. The construction phase plan sets out site health and safety arrangements and coordination. The risk assessment and method statement describe the task, hazards and sequence. The permit to dig releases a specific activity only when its defined preconditions have been met. A permit does not replace the plans, and a general method statement does not prove that today's utility information and ground conditions are acceptable.

For wider project planning, see Complys' construction compliance and construction phase plan pages. Treat these as routes to evaluate the service and document process, not as evidence that a digital permit-to-dig issuance feature is live. Confirm the current product workflow and any claims about it before publication.

Next step: Adapt the form to your project's permit system, attach the current site evidence, obtain competent review, and issue it only for the actual excavation. If the evidence is incomplete, mark it on hold and resolve it before digging.

Writer-side source and QA record

Terminal writer-side disposition: READY.