Safety tip of the week: digging safely without hitting cables and pipes

on Nov 09, 2026

A fence post, a garden drain or a trench for an outdoor socket: autumn is a popular time for digging. But beneath almost every garden and building plot lies a network of cables and pipes. One wrong stroke of a spade can cause a power cut, a gas leak or an injury. Here is how you dig safely.

What lies under your feet?

Cables and pipes are usually between 30 cm and 1 metre deep, but subsidence or raising the ground can change that. The first thing you hit is often the fibre-optic or coax cable, which is very vulnerable. Below it you will often find the electricity cable and the gas pipe, then the water pipe and the sewer connection. Driving posts into the ground or using an earth auger also counts as digging.

When do you need to request utility information before you dig?

Digging with a machine, such as a mini excavator? Then a KLIC notification (dig notification) to the Dutch Land Registry (Kadaster) is required by law, also on your own land and also if you have someone else dig there.
Submit it at least 3 and at most 20 working days before you start. The cable and pipe information must be available digitally at the dig site while you work.
Digging by hand is not subject to a legal notification requirement. Even so, a notification is wise for deeper work, an earth auger or driving posts.
Note: house connections between the property boundary and your home are sometimes missing from the information. In that case, contact the network operator.

How do you dig carefully?

The map is a guide: the actual position can differ. So dig layer by layer and do not jab hard into the ground with a spade or pickaxe.
Professionals first dig trial trenches by hand to find the exact position of cables and pipes.
Use cordless tools, so there is no extra cable around the hole.
Wear sturdy safety shoes or boots and work gloves. Working near the road? Then also wear a hi-vis vest.

When is digging work for a professional?

A trench or pit deeper than 1 metre can collapse. It then needs shoring or a safe slope, and you keep a strip beside it clear of soil and materials. Are you digging with a machine, close to a gas pipe or on a large site? Then call in a professional. They have the experience, the equipment and the know-how for it.

Checklist: before you start digging

Do I know which cables and pipes may lie here?
Have I made a KLIC notification on time if I am using a machine?
Is the cable and pipe information on site?
Am I digging carefully, layer by layer?
Am I wearing safety shoes, gloves and, by the road, a hi-vis vest?
Do I know what to do if I hit something?

💡 Tip: see a cable, a pipe or a coloured warning tape in the ground? Stop with the spade, carefully expose the area by hand and check what it is before you dig on.

What do you do if you damage a cable or pipe?

Stop work immediately and do not touch the damaged cable or pipe. Keep your distance and keep others away. If gas is escaping or there is a short circuit, call 112 first and then the national power and gas outage number 0800-9009. Never cover a gas leak with sand or tape: the gas can find its way into a house, for example through a sewer pipe. And never operate the network operator's valves.

What do professionals and DIYers often ask about digging safely?

I am only digging a planting hole. Do I need a notification?

No, digging by hand is not subject to a notification requirement. Do keep in mind that cables can lie close to the surface. If you are digging deeper, a notification is wise.