Ground Disturbance Training in British Columbia: Online Awareness Course
Ground Disturbance Awareness: A Canadian Compliance Course, $34.95 CAD
A 30 to 40 minute online course that covers the ground disturbance concepts that BC OHS Regulation, Part 20 (sections 20.78 to 20.95) expects British Columbia workers to understand: what counts as a ground disturbance, locate requests and locate marks, the hand-expose zone around buried facilities, pipeline right-of-way rules, soil types and excavation hazards.
- Instant access after checkout, self-paced, works on any device
- Developed by CRSP-certified safety professionals
- Printable certificate of completion with verification code
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Awareness level: pairs with your employer's site-specific procedure
What this course is (and is not)
It is awareness-level training: the shared knowledge every worker, operator and supervisor needs before they take part in digging, trenching, augering or driving anything into the ground. It covers the concepts in BC OHS Regulation, Part 20 (sections 20.78 to 20.95) in plain language, with quizzes and a final assessment.
It is not a Ground Disturbance 201 supervisor certificate, an industry-endorsed ticket, or a substitute for the locate and permit process on a specific site. British Columbia does not issue a ground disturbance licence. We do not claim the course meets or satisfies the regulation on its own; your employer pairs it with locate requests, site procedures and supervision.
Buying for a crew? Corporate accounts let you assign seats and track completions. Need help writing the excavation or ground disturbance procedure the regulation requires? Talk to a consultant.
What British Columbia Requires for Ground Disturbance
Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (B.C. Reg. 296/97), Part 20, Construction, Excavation and Demolition, Excavations, sections 20.78 to 20.95, in plain language.
In British Columbia, ground disturbance is governed by the Excavations division of Part 20 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (B.C. Reg. 296/97), sections 20.78 to 20.95. WorkSafeBC both writes and enforces the Regulation. The Regulation uses the term excavation rather than ground disturbance, and it applies to trenches, pits, drilling and any work that breaks ground with powered tools.
Work standards (section 20.78). Excavation work must follow the written instructions of a qualified registered professional where the excavation is more than 6 metres deep, a structure is adjacent to it, it is subject to vibration or hydrostatic pressure likely to cause hazardous ground movement, or the ground slopes away from the edge steeper than 3 horizontal to 1 vertical; a professional engineer's instructions are required where support structures are used.
Underground utility services (section 20.79). Before excavating or drilling with powered tools and equipment, the location of all underground utility services in the area must be accurately determined and any danger from them controlled. Work near an underground utility service must conform to the requirements of the owner of that service. Pointed tools must not be used to probe for underground petroleum and electrical services, and powered excavating equipment must be operated to avoid damaging underground services or endangering workers.
Removing nearby hazards (section 20.80). Trees, utility poles, rocks and similar objects adjacent to an excavation must be removed or secured if they could endanger workers.
Sloping, shoring and support (sections 20.81 to 20.85). The walls of an excavation more than 1.2 metres deep that a worker enters must be sloped, shored or supported as the Regulation prescribes, with timber shoring grades, safe installation procedures and trench support structures set out in detail.
Spoil piles, access and guarding (sections 20.86 to 20.89). Excavated material must be kept back from the edge, safe entry and exit provided, open excavations guarded, and crossings built to a safe standard.
Working in the excavation (sections 20.90 to 20.95). The Regulation also covers handling excavated material, skips and buckets, scaling and trimming loose material, height limits for working faces, positioning equipment away from the edge, and controlling water accumulation.
Locate requests in BC go through the provincial one-call service; the Regulation makes the employer responsible for acting on the information. Guidance, inspections and claims are all handled by WorkSafeBC.
This summary is for awareness only and is not legal advice. Always read the current consolidated text on the official site linked above.
Who Needs Ground Disturbance Training in British Columbia
Anyone who digs, trenches, augers, drives posts, hydrovacs or operates excavation equipment, and the supervisors and planners who send them out.
- Utility, telecom, gas and hydro installation crews
- Heavy civil, road building and municipal contractors
- Residential builders, foundation and deck contractors
- Landscaping, fencing, irrigation and post installation
- Oil and gas, LNG and pipeline construction
- Hydrovac, directional drilling and locating services
- Forestry road building and resource-sector earthworks
- Surveying, environmental drilling and geotechnical crews
Also relevant for joint health and safety committee members, new and young workers, landscapers, fencers and utility contractors bidding on British Columbia work who need documented awareness training before mobilizing.
Ground Disturbance Training British Columbia FAQs
Is ground disturbance training mandatory in British Columbia?
Part 20 of the OHS Regulation does not name a specific course. Section 20.79 requires the location of all underground utility services to be accurately determined before excavating or drilling with powered tools, and requires work near a service to conform to the owner's requirements. Employers meet the expectation by combining general awareness training with site procedures and locate practices. This course supplies the awareness half.
Is this a WorkSafeBC-approved ground disturbance certificate?
WorkSafeBC does not approve or issue ground disturbance certificates and there is no provincial ground disturbance ticket. This is an awareness-level course. On passing the final quiz you receive a printable certificate of completion with a verification code. Some BC pipeline and utility owners require a supervisor-level program under contract; check the owner's conditions before mobilizing.
Can I probe for a buried line with a pointed bar in BC?
No. Section 20.79(3) prohibits using pointed tools to probe for underground petroleum and electrical utility services. Locates must be obtained and the service exposed by a method acceptable to its owner. The course explains why probing and mechanical digging over an unexposed line are the two most common ways contact happens.
When does a BC excavation need engineered instructions?
Section 20.78 requires excavation work to be done in accordance with the written instructions of a qualified registered professional in the circumstances the section lists, and sections 20.81 to 20.85 set the sloping and shoring requirements for excavations more than 1.2 metres deep that a worker enters. The course covers the concepts; the employer's excavation plan sets the site steps.
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