If trenching near utilities is unsafe for a machine, what is the recommended method for digging?

• A. By Machine
• B. By Hand
• C. With an excavator from a distance
• D. Using a chemical method

Answer: (B)

When trenching near buried utilities, manual digging is the safest approach. Machines can strike or sever underground lines, causing leaks, outages, or injuries. Digging by hand gives you precise control, reduces vibration and force on the surrounding soil, and lets you work carefully around marked utilities. Before you start, locate and verify utility positions and use appropriate hand tools to dig in the areas near those markings. Using a machine or an excavator from a distance still carries the risk of damaging lines, and chemical methods aren’t appropriate for trenching near utilities.