Permit to Dig Services for Safe Excavation Projects
Before any excavation work begins, ensuring the safety of underground utilities and the workforce is critical.
Minimise risk, protect buried assets, and streamline excavation with our structured permit process, designed to give project managers and contractors the confidence to dig safely, with full compliance from day one.
Technics provides a robust Permit to Dig system, a formal excavation permit process designed to manage risk, improve compliance, and protect both personnel and buried assets. It also helps to clarify how to dig safely. This results in fewer delays, reduced on-site incidents, and a smoother path to project completion, giving you peace of mind and greater assurance for stakeholders.
Whether you’re working on infrastructure upgrades, construction sites, airports, or transport projects like HS2, our Permit to Dig consultancy ensures that excavation work permits are supported with the right data, procedures, and documentation.
What is a Permit to Dig?
Permit to Dig (also known as a Permit to Excavate) is a formal management system used to control the high risks of excavation works. It ensures that before any digging or groundworks begin, all known risks, especially those involving buried services, are identified, assessed, and mitigated.
Technics’ Permit to Dig process provides a structured and auditable approach for contractors, developers, and asset managers. It supports compliance with CDM regulations, improves on site safety for the workforce and utilities, and avoids costly utility strikes or downtime. For our clients, this means fewer disruptions, improved productivity, and the ability to meet tight project timelines with greater certainty.
What’s Included in Technics Permit to Dig Services?
Our end-to-end Permit to Dig service combines advanced utility detection with formal permitting, tailored to your project and risk level.
We provide:
- All permits and licences for site work.
- Compilation of all survey data.
- Identification of utilities on site.
- On-site mark out of utilities using appropriate methods (spray paint included).
- Identification and marking out of any exclusion zones.
- Experienced and fully trained QCF Level 5 surveying staff on hand during site works.
- Briefing of other contractors and verification of their digging methods.
- All services are accurately identified and incorporated into the final survey.
- Full permit pack delivered upon completion, including all survey data and plans.
Our clients consistently report greater site efficiency, faster permitting processes, and reduced risk exposure by integrating our service early in project planning.
Where a formal permit system isn’t necessary, you can verify the position and type of utilities with the highest level of detection available using our Vacuum Excavation service.
Where a formal permit system isn’t necessary, you can verify the position and type of utilities with the highest level of detection available using our Vacuum Excavation service.
Why Is a Permit to Dig Required?
Excavation work without a permit can result in significant safety and financial consequences. Cable and utility strikes are among the most dangerous and costly incidents on site, including injury or fatality of site staff, project delays, financial penalties, repair costs, and reputational damage.
Risks of not using a formal Permit to Dig system include:
- Contractors are not using the latest version of utility drawings.
- Misinterpretation of utility drawings on site.
- Time pressure to achieve excavation commercial targets.
- Survey grade Electro-magnetic or Ground Penetrating Radar equipment not being utilised.
- Delays are caused by obtaining permits from the utility providers.
By utilising Technic’s bespoke Permit to Dig system and consultancy, we can manage these risks for you, ensuring that the entire process and procedures are in place to minimise risk, avoid costly overruns, and keep your project on track.
How Technics can support your project
Technics has many years of experience in detecting underground utilities and working with contractors in multiple environments. We provide Permit to Dig on infrastructure projects, including Heathrow Airport and multiple sites for HS2.
Whether you’re managing a complex construction site or a one-off groundworks project, we tailor our process to suit your exact requirements. Our tailored approach means you benefit from clearer planning outcomes, faster mobilisation, and safer, more predictable delivery on site.
Our Permit to Dig system can work in conjunction with our vacuum excavation service or utilise clients’ contractors for digging and installation services.
To discuss your project with us, please call our offices or email enquiries@technicsgroup.com to speak to our team of experts.
