A lot of tillage and excavation work takes place in Finland during the spring and summer when weather conditions permit. Authorisation is required for excavation work and ditch clearing near a gas pipeline route and for crossing a pipeline with heavy equipment in open areas. Gasgrid’s supervisors will be pleased to help in planning safe ways of working.

The gas transmission network owned and maintained by Gasgrid Finland Oy is an important part of Finnish infrastructure. More than half the population of Finland lives near the gas transmission network totalling around 1,200 kilometres of pipeline in southern Finland.

Gas flows silently and invisibly in pipelines buried at a depth of around one metre under the ground. As excavation work becomes more common in the spring and summer, it is important to remember a common approach to ensure safety. Marker posts and plates or other markings on the ground and excavation prohibition signs in the vicinity of a pipeline indicate the location of pipelines (image attached).

Authorisation is always required for excavation work, ditch clearing in the close vicinity of a gas pipeline route and for crossing a pipeline with heavy equipment in open areas. Where the work is less than five metres from either side of the gas pipeline, then a safety supervisor authorised by Gasgrid must be present at the site to show the location of the pipeline and to oversee safety.

Map service helps in planning – contacting a supervisor ensures safe working

Gasgrid’s map service can be used to check gas pipeline locations. It shows the pipelines in use, pressure reduction stations, route markers, information relating to the cathodic protection of the pipeline, the contact details of supervisors and plenty of safe distances relating to various activities in the vicinity of the pipeline.

“Summer is the season for various earthworks projects. To ensure safety, it’s important to remember to contact us when planning work in the vicinity of a gas pipeline. Our supervisor will visit the site free of charge and ensure safe working,” says Arto Korpela, Head of Integrity Management and Land Use at Gasgrid.

The map services works on phones and other smart devices. When in open areas, the service can be used to assess pipeline location, plan work and when doing clearing work along the pipeline route. The safe distances shown in the service help to assess the distances to be taken into account in the project. The information provided by the service does not, however, authorise independent excavation in the vicinity of a pipeline and Gasgrid must always be notified of such work.

More information:

Arto Korpela, Gasgrid Finland Oy, +358 400 650 718, arto.korpela@gasgrid.fi

Tero Lehtinen, Gasgrid Finland Oy, +358 40 558 7828, tero.lehtinen@gasgrid.fi

Website: How to identify a gas pipeline and work in the vicinity of it: Identification and activities – Gasgrid Finland