Excavation Protection System

The Last Line of
Physical Defense.

DigBarrier™ is a passive HDPE mechanical protection system installed above buried pipelines. When a 32-ton excavator hits where it shouldn't — the plate stops it before it reaches your asset.

See How It Works Download Datasheet
DigBarrier™ PG1 protection plate
$30B+
Annual cost of excavation damage in North America
50%
Of damage occurs despite correct 811 procedures
32T
Excavator force DigBarrier™ is rated to withstand
0 sec
Warning time when a bucket hits an unprotected pipeline
The Problem

Procedures alone are not enough.

Even when every step is followed — 811 notified, facilities marked, operators trained — excavation damage still occurs. The reason is a physical gap that procedures cannot close.

"At the moment of impact, the system's last line of defense is human behavior alone. DigBarrier™ closes the physical gap."
👁
Visual marks disappear
Once topsoil is removed, paint marks and flags are gone. The operator digs from memory.
🌊
Depth perception fails
In muddy or flooded trenches, the operator cannot see the asset until the bucket makes contact.
⚠️
Zero mechanical resistance
Warning tape offers no resistance to a 32-ton bucket. The pipe is the first physical obstacle.
⏱
Human reaction time fails
The time to rupture a plastic pipe is shorter than the human reflex to stop the excavator.
How It Works

Install. Backfill. Protect.

No power. No sensors. No activation. DigBarrier™ works by physical presence alone.

1
Pipeline laid
Asset installed at standard depth per code requirements.
2
First backfill
Initial soil layer placed — 15–30 cm above the asset.
3
DigBarrier™
Modular HDPE plates interlocked to cover full trench width.
4
Trench filled
Remaining soil placed. System invisible after installation.
5
Protection active
Plate intercepts the bucket before it reaches the asset.
Installation Cross-Section
Ground surface
Backfill soil — above plate
DigBarrier™ HDPE Plate ← PROTECTION LAYER
Backfill soil — below plate
Protected pipeline / cable
Who It Protects

Built for the people who keep infrastructure running.

🔥
Gas Utilities
Distribution & Transmission
Regulatory defensibility — 'reasonable preventive measure'
Yellow HDPE matches gas marking standards
Strengthens post-incident audit position
📡
Telecom & Fiber
Networks & Trunk Routes
One cut can disconnect thousands of users
SLA protection and business continuity insurance
Custom colors per utility marking standard
🏗
Civil Contractors
Trench & Pipeline Projects
Physical evidence of protective measures installed
Comply with utility specs requiring mechanical protection
Install in minutes — no tools or training required
Key Attributes

Passive. Mechanical. Defensible.

Passive
No power or activation
Works by physical presence. No batteries, sensors, software, or monitoring required. Ever.
Mechanical
32-ton impact rated
HDPE engineered to absorb and redistribute excavator bucket forces before they reach the asset.
Modular
Any trench width
Male/female interlocking tabs connect PG1/PG2/PG3 plates to cover any geometry.
Sacrificial
Asset survives contact
Designed to fail before the pipeline does — converting catastrophic events into manageable ones.
Defensible
Audit trail built-in
Documents that a 'reasonable physical preventive measure' was in place — the regulatory standard.
Selective
Risk-based deployment
Applied only where residual risk is unacceptable — not blanket installation. Credibility through selectivity.

Is there a physical gap in your protection strategy?

This may or may not be the right approach — the question is whether it's worth evaluating.

Contact Us Download Technical Documents