Product Overview

Summary: This Safe Operating Procedure sets out a clear, repeatable process for coordinating utilities on road projects, from early design through to construction and handover. It helps project teams manage safety, service protection and stakeholder communication so that buried and overhead utilities are identified, protected, relocated or decommissioned without incidents, delays or costly rework.

Road projects in Australia often intersect a complex web of underground and overhead utilities – electricity, gas, water, sewer, telecommunications and drainage. Poor coordination can lead to service strikes, serious injuries, environmental incidents, claims from asset owners and major program blowouts. This Utility Coordination in Road Projects SOP provides a structured framework for how your team will identify, verify, protect and manage utilities across the full project lifecycle, in line with WHS duties and asset owner requirements.

The procedure sets out a disciplined approach to utility enquiries, records review, survey and locating (including use of DBYD/Before You Dig Australia, ground penetrating radar and potholing), risk assessment, design integration and construction staging. It clarifies who does what – from project managers and site supervisors through to subcontractors and utility owners – and embeds mandatory controls such as exclusion zones, permit-to-excavate processes, isolation and lock-out, and safe work methods around live services. By adopting this SOP, your organisation can reduce the likelihood of utility strikes, improve safety outcomes, streamline approvals and build a defensible evidence trail demonstrating due diligence under Australian WHS law.

Beyond safety, effective utility coordination is a key driver of program certainty and client confidence. This SOP helps teams engage early with asset owners, schedule relocations, manage temporary service arrangements and keep communities informed of planned outages and disruptions. The result is fewer surprises on site, better integration between design and construction, and a consistent way of working across multiple projects, contractors and regions.

Key Benefits

• Reduce the risk of utility strikes, service interruptions and associated injuries on road construction sites.
• Ensure systematic compliance with WHS duties, asset owner requirements and Before You Dig Australia processes.
• Streamline communication and approvals with utility providers, regulators and road authorities.
• Improve cost and program certainty by identifying, assessing and managing utility conflicts early in design.
• Standardise roles, responsibilities and documentation across projects, contractors and regions.

Who is this for?

• Road Project Managers
• Construction Managers
• Site Supervisors
• Project Engineers
• Utility Coordination Managers
• Civil Engineers
• Traffic and Transport Engineers
• WHS Managers
• Client-side Project Directors (State and Local Government)
• Design Managers
• Dial Before You Dig / Before You Dig Australia Coordinators

Hazards Addressed

• Contact with live underground or overhead electrical assets resulting in electric shock or electrocution
• Damage to gas mains leading to leaks, fire or explosion
• Rupture of water or sewer lines causing flooding, contamination and environmental harm
• Service strikes during excavation, piling, saw-cutting or directional drilling
• Uncontrolled release of pressure from water, gas or other pressurised services
• Vehicle and plant interactions with overhead powerlines and communication cables
• Confined space and atmospheric hazards associated with utility pits, manholes and chambers
• Slips, trips and falls around open trenches, pits and temporary utility works
• Public safety risks arising from unplanned outages, exposed services or traffic disruptions

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Abbreviations (Utilities, DBYD/BYDA, SUI, etc.)
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities (Project Manager, Utility Coordinator, Site Supervisor, Contractors)
• 4.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Asset Owner Requirements
• 5.0 Pre-Design and Planning Utility Investigations
• 6.0 Utility Information Gathering (DBYD/BYDA Requests, Records Review and Validation)
• 7.0 Subsurface Utility Information (SUI) Classification and Survey Requirements
• 8.0 Risk Assessment for Utilities in Road Projects
• 9.0 Design Integration and Clash Resolution with Utilities
• 10.0 Stakeholder Engagement with Utility Owners and Road Authorities
• 11.0 Approvals, Permits and Service Agreements
• 12.0 Construction Planning for Utility Protection, Relocation and Isolation
• 13.0 Safe Work Requirements Near Underground and Overhead Services
• 14.0 Excavation, Potholing and Verification Procedures
• 15.0 Permit-to-Excavate and Service Location Checks
• 16.0 Traffic Management and Public Safety Around Utility Works
• 17.0 Change Management and Unexpected Utility Discovery Process
• 18.0 Incident, Near Miss and Utility Strike Reporting and Investigation
• 19.0 Environmental Protection Measures for Utility Works
• 20.0 Communication and Community Notification of Outages and Disruptions
• 21.0 Training, Competency and Induction Requirements
• 22.0 Recordkeeping, As-Constructed Information and Handover
• 23.0 Monitoring, Audit and Continuous Improvement

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth and relevant State/Territory equivalents)
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (and State/Territory equivalents)
• Safe Work Australia – Excavation Work Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Work Near Overhead and Underground Electric Lines (guidance material and applicable state codes)
• AS/NZS 3000:2018 Electrical installations (Wiring Rules)
• AS 1742 series: Manual of uniform traffic control devices (for traffic management around utility works)
• AS 5488:2019 Classification of subsurface utility information
• AS/NZS 4360 / ISO 31000: Risk management – Principles and guidelines
• Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) – Duty of Care and Service Location Guidelines
• Relevant asset owner technical standards and network access requirements (e.g. electricity, gas, water, telecommunications authorities)