Locate utilities before digging — Gardening and Small Landscaping Businesses
Gardening and Small Landscaping Businesses · 4 minutes · English · Continental Environmental Training
Key message: A shallow garden project can strike buried electrical or gas services.
Why it matters
A shallow garden project can strike buried electrical or gas services.
Work safely
• Request required utility locating and account for private lines.
• Follow local digging rules and safe exposure methods.
• Stop for unidentified services.
Discuss with the crew
Where does this hazard exist on this job? What would make us stop, and who will correct it?
Check before starting and stop-work conditions
From a safe position, verify each action above against today's site, equipment or documents. Do not expose anyone just to demonstrate.
Stop work: Pause for missing controls, changed conditions or work beyond your training. Verify corrections before restarting.
Leader guide and source references
Source: 550 Small Business Toolbox Talks, T08-03, prepared October 19, 2026. Suggested session: 3-5 minutes including discussion and the site check. Read the hazard and actions aloud. A solo worker can answer aloud and record the check. Give instructions in language workers understand.
These introductory awareness talks do not replace hands-on training, employer programs, exposure assessments, manufacturer instructions, competent-person inspections, engineering designs, licensing, or certification. Apply the current requirements for the actual work, including stricter state or local rules. Attendance alone does not establish competence.
Before work, identify the exact address, emergency number, first-aid supplies, evacuation route, and who meets responders. In the United States call 911 for a life-threatening emergency. Do not improvise rescue into electrical, collapse, gas, or atmospheric hazards.
Reference starting points supplied in the PDF for this trade; these are not a claim that every listed reference directly covers every talk:
Residential construction and fall protection
https://www.osha.gov/residential-construction
Excavation access inspections and utilities
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.651
Excavation protective systems
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.652