Alberta Occupational Health and Safety recognizes Hydrovacs as the only acceptable and safe alternative to hand exposing, and they can be up to ten times faster. Hydrovacs provide a cost-effective and safe excavating solution around energized lines. Their precise excavations preserve landscaped property, minimize ground disturbance and greatly reduce backfill and restoration costs.
Applications can include power pole holes, trenching and test holes.
The most efficient Hydrovacs carry on-board heaters capable of heating the water to allow excavating in frozen earth to any depth of ground frost, thus eliminating the need for gound thawing. Hydrovacs expose energized lines on a daily basis. Water and electricity obviously do not mix and very specific safe-work procedures must be followed for Hydrovacs to expose these lines. Proactive Hydrovac procedures should be written in accordance with Compentent Persons training, electrical awareness training and trench safety. Badger Daylighting's Safety Coordinator Mac MacIntyre has recently written Equal Potential Bonding Hydrovac procedures in cooperation with TransAlta's Electrical Training School to ensure safe work practices around energized lines.