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Method Statement 3.15 - Vacuum Excavator

Document Information

Field Value
Document Reference MS 3.15
Issue Number 2
Issue Date 1 June 2026
Next Review 1 June 2027
Prepared By Sean Ashton
Approved By Aaron Mason, Director
Task No Task PPE to be worn Plant required Reference is made to the Team Pack
3.15 Vacuum Excavator As defined by on-site risk assessment. Vacuum Excavator vehicle support vehicle, exclusion barriers, and traffic signage / control system and hand tools. risk assessment 2.26 Vacuum Excavator Operation & 2.26.1 Vacuum Excavator – Short Duration work in Highway

Hazards

  • Vehicle/ vehicle collision
  • Vehicle/ pedestrian collision
  • Excavation failure
  • Underground services
  • Overhead services
  • Equipment failure
  • Incorrect operation
  • Manual Handling

Environmental Impacts

  • Noise
  • Dust
  • Light From Night working

Customer Impacts

  • Noise
  • Dust
  • Access

Training Required

All drivers to hold a DVLA Licence applicable to the vehicle type. All drivers to hold a valid and full CPC certification. All drivers licences to be assessed as part of their employment process.

Driver's licences to be reviewed at six monthly intervals and assessed yearly by a VOSA accredited assessor.

As Per specific contract training matrix

Additional Plant and Equipment

  • Support vehicle
  • Traffic signage/ control system

Permits Required

As Per specific contract specifications and Client requirements.

COSHH Assessment Required

  • 2 Stroke Oil
  • Diesel/Petrol
  • Line Marker Spray
  • Lubricating Spray

Scope of works:

The Vacuum Excavator will be used to deliver work from IMR & IMR work baskets. Control of works overall will be Partner Clancy Docwra

Works in general will be carried out using IMR team pack including risk assessments 2.26 Vacuum Excavator Operation & 2.26.1 Vacuum Excavator – Short Duration work in Highway.

The Vacuum Excavator operator Works will commonly be provided by Toughbook, following an IMR reactive model of planning & communicating work.

Sequence of Operations and Control Methods

Sequence of Operation:

Pre-commencement site/ traffic review to establish access requirements and traffic/ public controls and precautions.

  • Arrive on site and review service drawings and street furniture
  • Set up site & make safe
  • Carry out pre-works checks
  • Cut surface & vacuum excavate
  • Make repair
  • Backfill
  • Reinstate
  • Clear site

The Vacuum Excavator work will most commonly be carried out by a rolling team as follows:

  • X1 person set up site (TM, barrier delivery), take down site
  • X1 person operating Vacuum Excavator
  • X2 person excavation team
  • X2 person fitting team

Control Methods

Jobs will have been surveyed for the Vacuum Excavator suitability prior to arrival.

On arrival team will assess risk factors from using Vacuum Excavator such as noise to public, impact of vehicle parking position, pedestrian movements & TM requirements. Both Excavation team & Vacuum Excavator operator will carry out pre-work risk assessments.

TM & site set up will be carried out by others for major Traffic Management systems or by delivery team for standard TM. Photos of sites are reviewed prior to job to assess for parking arrangements due to quantity of vehicles required.

If required site will be set up by one team prior to the remainder of team & Vacuum Excavator arriving. Vehicles should always be parked safely & considerately, using a flashing beacon where possible. All Vacuum Excavator movements will be carried out by Vacuum Excavator Operator only under the direction of a Banksman.

Safety Procedures

Prior to any work commencing a pre-start briefing will be held to discuss the emergency stop procedure for the Vacuum Excavator and the safety precautions to be implemented for the task to be completed safely at that location.

There shall be a minimum of two people on site at any time (plus Operator) who can perform an emergency stop procedure. The Vacuum Excavator Operator will not enter the excavation, neither will any other member of the team, unless the vacuum arm has been removed and isolated.

All works prior to start of excavation (site set up, paperwork, location & marking of services & breaking out of any surface layer for example) will be carried out as per IMR Team Pack.

All persons on site will wear PPE / RPE in line with minimum standards & as specific tasks demand. A 'U' shape exclusion zone will be created from the rear of the Vacuum Excavator to ensure no MOP can access working area.

Public protection will be considered at survey stage & by Point of Work RA. Footpaths will be closed if required to ensure relevant working distances. Footpath closures will direct MOP to an adjacent footpath or via a temporary walk way around the working area as per IMR Team Pack.

Excavation Procedures

Excavation team leader will confirm when the excavation is ready to commence & will the control team communication.

The area to be fenced (and screened off as necessary) to protect excavation area and any adjacent cars or property from damage when using the air-lance.

Where required the team will stihl-saw the cut the road surface and break-up the road surface/ sub-base to facilitate removal with the vacuum excavator.

One member of this team may operate air lance in conjunction with Vacuum Excavator hose to dislodge material. Any operatives not active at this time will stand in a safe location whether it be inside or outside of the exclusion zone. Vacuum Excavator suction hose will be operated by trained & competent operator only.

The excavation team will be responsible for the location of underground services as the excavation continues in line with IMR Team Pack. The excavation team will be responsible for the monitoring of ground conditions & excavation assessment in line with IMR Team Pack.

Remote Control Operation

On descending from the vacuum excavator cab the operator will remove the remote control unit ensuring the isolation button is in the engaged position. The operator will ensure the vehicle cab is locked at all times when he is not present to ensure unauthorised operation is prevented.

The remote control unit is to be in a secure position on the operator's harness before the isolation button is released. The operator is required to ensure the isolation button is fully functional before commencing the task.

Having completed the vacuum excavator's pre-use checks the operator can commence excavation.

NB The vacuum vehicle operator is not permitted to undertake any other task or provide assistance while wearing the remote control unit.

If the remote control unit is removed from the operator's harness/ belt then the unit must be isolated prior to removal. Once removed the unit should be placed on a level section of ground (right way up) away from the immediate work are.

Position the suction hose inlet 100 to 200mm above and near to the area to be excavated. Using the air lance or other tools break up the ground to be excavated for removal by the suction inlet. Care to be taken when working close to and exposing buried services and tree roots.

Blockage Clearance Procedures

No person is permitted to work or walk under the suction hose boom. The suction hose should never be left suspended when not in use.

In the event of a hose blockage / suction pressure drop then blockages should be removed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Remove the suction inlet from the excavation to a safe area, prior to positioning just above the ground and isolating the machine to clear the blockage.

Blockages can occur for several reasons:

  • Wet and/or stick material can stick to the inside of the inlet hose reducing the diameter of the inlet pipe.
  • Stones or larger sections of tarmac/ sub-base can become jammed within the inlet pipe.
  • Trying to remove too much material small stones / bricks at one time.

Clearing a blocked suction inlet hose:

Place the boom in a safe area and remove all unnecessary personnel and then operate the boom vacuum isolation switch. If the obstruction is then released safely onto the ground then the boom vacuum can then be de-isolated and the operation can continue, in the event of restricted vacuum/ operation remains then cause/ type of blockage established:

  • Build-up of material within the inlet hose (wet sand/Clay) – With the suction on extend the hydraulic cylinders and alternatively bend and straighten the hose listening for an increase in air-flow as the stuck material detaches from the hose and moves into the hopper.

  • In the event of the material continuing to stick to the inside of the inlet tube extend the boom fully horizontally to the ground directly behind the vehicle. Using the rubber mallet provided strike the outside of the length of the hose listening for an increase in air-flow as the stuck material detaches from the hose and moves into the hopper.

  • In the event of neither of the above actions clearing the blockage then with the boom vacuum isolation switch activated and the suction turned off extend the boom out straight to the ground to approximately 6.0 ft above the ground directly behind the vehicle. Do not stand under the boom. With a torch examine the inside of the suction hose to see if the blockage is visible. Utilizing the long-handled scraper or the rodding equipment dislodge or scrape the inlet tube as required to remove the blockage material.

Materials blocking the inlet hose at the point of entry into the hopper:

Access to the hopper lid is necessary to clear this type of blockage. This will require two operatives one of which will have to wear a full body harness and lanyard and be harness trained.

The vacuum excavator must be parked in a safe area on firm, level ground away from any overhead lines or other obstructions. The stabilisers legs are to be fully deployed and the boom arm positioned at 90 degrees to the rear of the vehicle with the vacuum inlet positioned on the ground.

The vehicle should then be immobilised, the engine switched off and the remote control placed in the storage locker.

Only one operative (wearing a full body safety harness) is permitted to access to top of the vehicle with the second operative to assist and pass the relevant tools to him.

The first operative is to climb the rear access ladder using three-points of contact at all times. At the top of the ladder the operative will activate the lever that operates the WAH access cage prior to disconnecting his lanyard and re-connecting it to the roof rail anchor point. He can then continue and access the roof to the hopper inlet.

The operator can then access the inspection hatch by releasing the two clips (one either side of the hose inlet) and opening the hatch. Care should be taken when laying the open hinged lid down not to create a trapping point.

The second man can now pass any tools or rods required to remove the blockage.

The first operative can then dismount from the machine by reversing the access process.

Tipping and emptying the hopper:

The operator should record the size of the excavations and be aware of the spoil hopper capacity. When the hopper is full the suction pressure will drop and reduction in suction performance will occur.

The spoil hopper will require to be emptied by either emptying to a designated fenced area on site or removed to an agreed location of site. At the point of emptying the vehicle will be positioned on level ground and the hydraulic stabilisers fully deployed before the tipping operation is commenced.

A minimum 6m exclusion zone should be maintained at all times during the tipping process.

The operative should never stand under a tipped skip, even to dislodge stuck or stubborn material.

Once excavation has been completed repair & reinstatement works will continue as per IMR Team Pack.

Transporting excessively wet spoil material

Concern has been raised within the suction excavator industry that the transporting of part loads of excessively wet vacuum excavator spoil within excavator tank could result in the load moving during transport potentially causing vehicle instability.

To prevent this the following actions should be taken when excavating excessively wet material:

  • Excavations should have an independent pump to remove the water during the excavation process.
  • Any water taken into the vacuum excavator spoil tank should be drained as per the manufacturer's instructions in an environmentally responsible way.
  • Where sufficient water cannot be removed from the vehicles tank in this way a sump pump can be used to remove water from the spoil tank. Access to insert/ remove the pump inlet hose into the spoil tank will require the operative to be WAH trained and wear a full body safety harness and restraint lanyard to access the upper part of the vehicle.