Tasks

• Lead the management and assurance of the project’s Avoidance of Underground and Overhead Services procedure, ensuring site teams understand and comply with the required process before works commence.
• Act as the project focal point for utility survey risk, utility records, underground service information and overhead service constraints.
• Train, develop and appoint competent persons on sites to ensure resilience for all defined roles under the Avoidance of Underground and Overhead Services procedure.
• Ensure works around underground services are planned, controlled and delivered in line with HSG47 principles, including planning the work, locating and identifying services, and applying safe excavation methods.
• Ensure works near overhead services are planned and controlled in line with SUK procedures and industry guidance, including appropriate assessment of exclusion zones, plant movements, access routes, temporary works and emergency arrangements.
• Develop and manage the utility survey strategy for the project, ensuring that survey requirements are identified early, scoped correctly and delivered to the required standard.
• Ensure utility surveys are specified, delivered, reviewed and recorded in line with PAS 128 requirements for underground utility detection, verification and location.
• Coordinate desktop utility records searches, statutory undertaker information, PAS 128 surveys, EML/GPR surveys, trial holes, verification works and site walkovers.
• Review survey outputs, utility drawings, asset owner records and site information to identify gaps, conflicts, limitations, assumptions and areas requiring further investigation.
• Ensure all utility information is captured, controlled and maintained within the live utility register, GIS, BIM models, drawings, permits and construction work packs as required.
• Support site teams in the preparation and review of RAMS, permits to dig, excavation plans, temporary works proposals and task briefings where underground or overhead services may be affected.
• Provide practical support and challenge to construction teams, supervisors and subcontractors to ensure utility controls are implemented correctly on site.
• Stop or escalate works where utility information, procedural compliance or site controls are inadequate.
• Support ongoing utility connection and diversion works across the full utilities team remit, including potable water, power, gas, telecoms, drainage and temporary site supplies.
• Support utility asset protection works, ensuring existing services are identified, exposed, protected, monitored and handed back in accordance with asset owner and project requirements.
• Coordinate with statutory undertakers, asset owners, highways authorities, designers, survey contractors, utility subcontractors and internal delivery teams.
• Support the Engineering team by feeding survey findings, constraints and utility risks into design development, constructability reviews and change management.
• Work with the Construction and Planning teams to ensure utility risks are understood and incorporated into sequencing, access planning, temporary works, traffic management and programme delivery.
• Work with the Consents team to ensure relevant permissions, permits, asset owner agreements and planning obligations are understood and discharged before works commence.
• Provide assurance through site inspections, audits, procedural reviews and targeted checks of works involving underground or overhead services.
• Maintain clear records of survey findings, known and suspected services, residual risks, verification status, briefings, permits, inspections, non-conformances and lessons learned.
• Support incident investigations, near-miss reviews and lessons learned relating to utility strikes, service damage, unsafe excavation or overhead service risks.
• Drive continuous improvement in utility risk management, including briefing quality, survey standards, site discipline, digital records and interface management.
• Promote a strong safety culture where teams actively plan, verify and protect before breaking ground or working near overhead services.