What should you do if you hit a gas main while digging?

There may come a time when you have to dig into the ground in your back yard. There could be lots of reasons for you having to do this, from digging a deep hole for a shrub to digging to place the foundations for a fence. One of the biggest potential problems you can face while digging is hitting something you did not expect to be there, such as a gas main. As you can probably imagine, hitting a gas main can be a dangerous situation, and it’s one that you do not necessarily have to be in if you do the right research before you start to dig.

We are going to take a look at how you can avoid having problems when digging in your back yard and what actions you should take if you are ever digging and hit a gas main by mistake.

Why it makes sense to know what is hidden in your back yard

If you are ever going to do some work which involves digging in your back yard it’s a good idea to get to know what is lurking beneath the ground. This can save you from encountering any nasty surprises. If you want to find out what hidden pipes and gas mains are around you can try utility mapping. This is the process whereby you hire a professional team of surveyors to investigate and tell you what is beneath the ground in your yard. Once you know what is there you can take steps to avoid it and hopefully avoid having any nasty accidents.

What happens if you hit a gas main?

As you are probably aware, gas can be very dangerous, and you should never take any chances with your own safety, or that of your family. If you ever strike a gas main while you are digging in the back yard you need to take action straight away. You should switch off any tools that you are using and anything that is likely to cause a spark to occur.

You should also make sure that everyone is away from the area as you do now want people to be susceptible to any escaped gas or to any potential explosions. Once you have done this you should call the gas emergency services so that they can come out and deal with the problem. You should never try and fix a gas main yourself.

As you can see, if you do not know what is under the ground in your back yard, you can be faced with a potentially dangerous situation.  It makes sense to seek professional help and find out what is lying under your back yard so that you can avoid any problems. If you have utility mapping carried out before you do any digging in your yard you should be able to steer clear of any problems and keep you and your family safe.