Create and maintain open drainage systems

This standard covers the activities required to create and maintain open drainage systems to a given specification.

The specification will include the route, profile, depth and grade of the drain, together with the acceptable tolerances and the treatment of excavated material.

Drainage systems may be pre-marked by others but in many cases you will be required to mark the drains yourself. You will need to check for the presence of underground services.

You will also need to take account of any restrictions affecting the work e.g. designated sites, presence of listed structures, wildlife, non-native invasive or protected species etc.

You are required to avoid or minimise damage or disturbance to the surrounding area including trees, other vegetation, wildlife and habitats, or to any structures, fences, paths, and signs, and to ensure that other site users are not put at risk by your work.

When working with equipment and machinery you must be appropriately trained, and hold current certification, where required, in line with the relevant legislation.

Your work must conform to all relevant legislation and codes of practice, industry standards and guidance.

Core requirements and responsibilities

1. obtain the relevant information to carry out the work activities in accordance with organisational procedures
2. check any statutory requirements that might be in place that may prohibit or place conditions on the work to be carried out, and confirm that all required permissions and licences have been obtained
3. maintain the health and safety of yourself and others at all times, in accordance with the relevant legislation and codes of practice
4. assess the risks associated with the site and the work to be carried out, including checking for the presence of underground services, before starting work and throughout the activity, checking and confirming the findings of any existing risk assessments
5. confirm sufficient control measures are implemented and emergency planning and procedures relevant to the site have been established and recorded
6. select the safest working methods, making use of mechanical methods where this is safer, in accordance with the assessed risks and organisational procedures, and plan work accordingly
7. plan work to minimise adverse damage and diffuse pollution
8. confirm that relevant training and certification is in place to undertake the work to be carried out and recognise your own competence limitations
9. use appropriate methods to maintain effective communication with other workers and anyone else involved in, or affected by, the work, in accordance with industry guidance and organisational procedures
10. confirm that appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for the work to be carried out is worn at all times
11. select, prepare, use, maintain and store the tools and equipment required safely, in accordance with the relevant legal requirements and manufacturer’s instructions
12. confirm all equipment has been checked, tested where required, and is fit for purpose, in accordance with the relevant legal requirements and manufacturer's instructions
13. maintain the safety and security of tools and equipment on site
14. carry out the required work in accordance with the information provided and organisational procedures
15. minimise damage or disturbance to the site and surrounding area while carrying out this work, and confirm that the site is left in a safe and tidy condition
16. implement best practice approaches to sustainability that are appropriate for the work being carried out
17. deal effectively with issues that arise, within the scope and limitations of your own responsibilities, and report issues that cannot be resolved, in accordance with organisational procedures
18. complete and store all relevant documentation in accordance with the relevant legal requirements and organisational procedures
    Create and maintain open drainage systems
19. use appropriate methods to create and maintain open drainage systems to the given specification
20. make effective use of the available resources
21. deal with excavated material in accordance with instructions and the relevant legislation

Core requirements and responsibilities

1. how to identify and access information relevant to the required work
2. how to identify hazards and assess risks associated with the site and the work to be carried out, and the importance of site-specific risk assessment and control measures that are appropriate for your area of work
3. relevant health and safety procedures and Safe Systems of Work (SSoW)
4. the emergency planning and procedures relevant to the site
5. current legislation and codes of practice, industry standards and guidance, organisational policies, procedures and protocols, business and professional ethics relevant to your area of work and to which you must adhere
6. the legal, industry and organisational requirements for training and certification to undertake the work activities required, and the importance of acknowledging your limitations and not undertaking work that is beyond your level of competence
7. why it is important to maintain effective communication with other workers and anyone else involved in, or affected by, the work and the methods of communication that should be used
8. the tools, equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) required for the work and how to select, prepare, use, carry out operator maintenance, and store these safely, in accordance with the relevant legal requirements, manufacturer’s instructions, and organisational procedures
9. the legal requirements for checking and testing equipment and why it is important to maintain all equipment to a high standard
10. technology used in your area of work and how to use it
11. the potential impact of the work on the site and surrounding area, how this can be minimised and how to recognise specified aspects of the site that should be preserved
12. your and the organisation’s responsibility for protecting the environment and working sustainably
13. the importance of checking that completed work meets requirements, in accordance with the information provided
14. the issues that can occur when creating and maintaining open drainage systems, the actions to take and organisational procedures for reporting issues that cannot be resolved
15. the scope and limitations of your competence, responsibilities and accountability
16. the legal and organisational requirements for the completion and storage of documentation
    Create open drainage systems
17. how to interpret plans and specifications for the creation of open drainage systems
18. how to create open drains in various soils, including organic and mineral soils
19. how to extend an open drainage system
20. how and where to terminate drains
21. the implications of terrain, soil texture and structure, season, weather and plant species on the work
22. the implications of flow rate when creating open drainage system
23. the recommended drain angle (3.05%) in accordance with the UK Forestry Standard
24. the required method of disposing of excavated material
    Maintain open drainage systems
25. how to interpret plans and specifications for the maintenance of open drainage systems
26. how to clear open drains and re-dig collapsed sections of open drains
27. how to maintain open drains in a range of soils
28. how to excavate material among standing trees
29. the techniques that can be used for de-bogging
30. the implications of terrain, soil texture and structure, season, weather and plant species on the work
31. the implications of flow rate when maintaining open drainage systems
32. the required method of disposing of excavated material

Site:
• open ground
• felled forest
• woodland sites

Specification covering:
• route
• profile
• depth
• grade
• flow rate
• drain angle
• treatment of excavated material
• tolerance of specification
• legislative and organisational environmental requirements

Information required to carry out work activities could include:
• drawings
• plans
• schedules
• specifications
• method statements
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• manufacturer’s instructions
• customer requirements
• quality assurance requirements
• industry standards (e.g. British Standards, UKFS)
• verbal or written instructions
• industry guidance (e.g. FISA)

Organisational procedures refer to procedures set by the organisation you are employed by or the organisation that you are doing the work on behalf of (the client or customer)

Safe System of Work (SSoW) – is a method of work that puts in place control measures arising from a risk assessment, in order to manage identified hazards, which are broken down into four elements: safe person; safe equipment; safe place; and safe practice.