An excavator operator is digging a trench on a construction site. A 'Danger - Buried Fibre Optic Cable' sign is visible 1.5 metres to the east of his current digging path, and buried utility locate flags are present showing a primary electrical line 0.5 metres to the west. What is the operator's safest course of action?

Question: An excavator operator is digging a trench on a construction site. A 'Danger - Buried Fibre Optic Cable' sign is visible 1.5 metres to the east of his current digging path, and buried utility locate flags are present showing a primary electrical line 0.5 metres to the west. What is the operator's safest course of action?

Answer options: ✅ Stop all digging and Hand expose the area within the 'tolerance zone' around the marked utilities.

• Proceed with caution, using the excavator bucket to scrape shallow layers until the utilities are located visually.
• Adjust the digging path to be exactly 1.0 metre from the fibre optic cable marker, assuming it's deeper.
• Continue digging, as long as the bucket doesn't directly contact the flags.

Correct answer: Stop all digging and Hand expose the area within the 'tolerance zone' around the marked utilities.

Explanation: OHS regulations and best practices, such as those from Ontario's 'Dig Safe' guidelines, require hand exposure within the tolerance zone (typically 1 metre on either side of the marks or 0.5 m, depending on jurisdiction and utility type) to prevent damage to buried utilities like fibre optic cables and electrical lines, which can lead to severe injury or death.