Nearly half of all incidents where workers were digging too close to high pressure oil, gas, and chemical pipelines occurred on UK farmland last year.
In 2021, 42% of incidents happened on agricultural land, representing a 7% increase on the previous year, according to Linewatch, the pipeline safety group.
In its 2021 infringement report, the awareness body suggests this large rise is the result of an improvement in reporting, rather than an actual increase in incidents.
Farmland accounts for more than 70% of the UK, with 75% of all pipelines running beneath it, putting farmers’ risk of striking a pipeline higher than those working in any other industry.
Pipelines can be buried as little as three feet below the surface, which is about the length of a cricket bat.
If struck, they can cause serious injuries and fatalities, as well as irreversible environmental damage with commensurate fines.
Murray Peat, manager at Linewatch said: "It’s so important that the correct procedures are followed to prevent serious injury.
"Whilst broader reporting is welcomed, it only reinforces the trend of farmland posing the biggest threat to pipeline safety.”
An infringement can be someone simply working near an oil, gas, or chemical pipeline without the owner’s awareness and permission, through to a worker actually striking a pipe.
The report suggests that 30% of infringements occurred even though the person responsible for the incident was already aware of the pipeline’s existence.
The group says this is troubling as it highlights a casualness, in some quarters, about the actual danger when working near pipelines.
Mr Peat said he was concerned by this: "The potential risk cannot be over-estimated. Which is why the proper process of searching with LSBUD before digging and of course, alerting the pipeline operator, should be followed every time.”
Landowners and their contractors pose the greatest risk to pipeline integrity, according to the report.
Of all incidents, ‘landowners’ were the most common offenders, with 167 infringements, 53% of all infringements reported.
Fencing, an integral farming activity, was the most common danger activity, making up 25% of all reports.
This was followed by excavation for service which refers to any work undertaken to install new services including telecoms, gas, and water supply.
In terms of severity, of all incidents recorded, 11 were deemed as ‘high’ category, with the most (six) occurring on farmland.
