What is required to be in place before any digging occurs?

Before any digging occurs, utility notifications are crucial to ensure the safety of the operation and to prevent damage to underground utilities. By notifying utility companies, operators can confirm the location of gas, water, electric, and telecommunications lines, which helps to mitigate the risk of accidents such as rupturing a gas line or cutting through a power cable. This step is paramount in maintaining safety for workers and the surrounding environment, as it allows for the proper marking of underground utilities, ensuring that anyone involved in the excavation is aware of potential hazards.

While other options have their importance in excavation processes—such as having emergency first aid kits for readiness in potential emergencies, or obtaining excavation permits to comply with local regulations and ensure proper procedures are followed—they do not directly relate to assessing and mitigating risks associated with existing underground utilities. Heavy machinery is indeed necessary for the digging itself but does not address the critical prior step of identifying underground utilities. Therefore, utility notifications stand out as the critical requirement that must be in place before any digging can commence.