Service strikes, insurance and who actually pays.

A homeowner took on a 22m stormwater run themselves after getting a $2,900 quote. Dry hire and a weekend: about $780 all in. No BYDA. At about 14 metres the bucket found a 100mm water main that ran diagonally across the easement, not parallel to the fence where everyone assumes it runs. Older Hampton Park streets are full of that.

The billed outcome: $11,200 emergency repair and reinstatement from the water authority, $4,800 to make good the neighbour's saturated driveway slab, $2,600 in hire-yard damage-waiver excess for the bent dipper arm, and $800 to have the job finished properly afterwards. Total $19,400, none of it covered, because the household policy excluded excavation work and there was no contractor's liability policy to claim on.

The same trench through us that month would have been $2,900, with BYDA lodged, the main proved by hand at three points, and a $20M policy behind it. That is the actual price of the insurance: about $2,100 of visible margin against a $19,400 downside. Our drainage trenching page sets out how we prove services before the machine starts, and the DIY versus operator comparison runs the same maths across other job types.

Generally not, and this catches people out. Standard Victorian home and contents policies exclude damage arising from building, excavation or structural work on the property, and they exclude gradual movement such as subsidence from a badly compacted fill pad. If a neighbour's fence, driveway or wall moves because of your dig, that is a liability question and it points at whoever did the excavation. This is exactly why a $600 saving on an uninsured cash operator is a bad trade - you have quietly made yourself the insurer of the whole job.

Subsidence claims are the slow version of the same problem, and in the reactive clay through Endeavour Hills, Hampton Park and Hallam they show up two to four years later as a cracked driveway or a dropped slab edge. By then the operator is gone and the insurer points at the workmanship exclusion. The early warning signs guide covers what to look for before it becomes structural.

If a strike happens, order matters. Stop the machine and leave it where it is unless it is in contact with an electrical cable, in which case nobody touches it or the ground near it. Get everyone back at least 10 metres, and further for gas. Call 000 for gas or electricity, then the asset owner's emergency line - South East Water and United Energy both run 24-hour faults numbers. Do not attempt to cap, pinch or backfill anything. Photograph the trench, the marks on the ground and the BYDA plans before anything is disturbed, because that photo set is what decides the insurance claim later. Notify your insurer the same day, not the same week.

On the legal question people ask most: there is no single Victorian statute that says the words 'you must lodge BYDA', but the practical answer is yes. Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the WorkSafe Excavation Compliance Code you must take reasonable steps to identify underground services before excavating, and BYDA is the accepted method of doing that. Asset owners also impose it through their own conditions. In court and in a claim, the absence of a BYDA response is treated as the absence of reasonable care. The service is free, plans usually land within two business days, and we lodge at least five working days out on every job.

Who pays when an excavator hits a water or gas main in Casey?

The party that did the digging, in almost every case. The asset owner - South East Water, United Energy, the gas distributor, Telstra or NBN Co - repairs the asset and bills the excavator for the full cost. That bill is not negotiable and it is not capped. Whether your public liability insurer then covers you comes down to one question the assessor will ask first: was a current Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) enquiry on site, and were the marked assets proved by hand or vacuum excavation before the machine went near them? If yes, the claim usually pays. If no, the insurer can decline it as reckless, and the bill lands on the person who hired the machine.

What level of public liability insurance should an excavation contractor carry?

$20 million public liability is the standard for domestic and light commercial earthworks in Victoria, and it is what we carry alongside current WorkCover. Anything under $10 million should worry you, because a single gas main strike that evacuates a Cranbourne street can consume it. Do not take the number on faith. Ask for the certificate of currency, check the expiry date, check the insured entity name matches the name on your quote, and check that earthworks and excavation are actually listed as covered activities rather than excluded. We email ours before any deposit is paid, without being asked.

Does home insurance cover damage from excavation on my own block?

Generally not, and this catches people out. Standard Victorian home and contents policies exclude damage arising from building, excavation or structural work on the property, and they exclude gradual movement such as subsidence from a badly compacted fill pad. If a neighbour's fence, driveway or wall moves because of your dig, that is a liability question and it points at whoever did the excavation. This is exactly why a $600 saving on an uninsured cash operator is a bad trade - you have quietly made yourself the insurer of the whole job.

Is a BYDA enquiry legally required before digging in Victoria?

There is no single Victorian statute that says the words 'you must lodge BYDA', but the practical answer is yes. Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the WorkSafe Excavation Compliance Code you must take reasonable steps to identify underground services before excavating, and BYDA is the accepted method of doing that. Asset owners also impose it through their own conditions. In court and in a claim, the absence of a BYDA response is treated as the absence of reasonable care. The service is free, plans usually land within two business days, and we lodge at least five working days out on every job.

What should I do in the first five minutes after a service strike?

Order matters. Stop the machine and leave it where it is unless it is in contact with an electrical cable, in which case nobody touches it or the ground near it. Get everyone back at least 10 metres, and further for gas. Call 000 for gas or electricity, then the asset owner's emergency line - South East Water and United Energy both run 24-hour faults numbers. Do not attempt to cap, pinch or backfill anything. Photograph the trench, the marks on the ground and the BYDA plans before anything is disturbed, because that photo set is what decides the insurance claim later. Notify your insurer the same day, not the same week.