Shallow Utilities Consortium – Housing Starts and Congested Site Management

BILD Calgary Region

Bulletin – July 2, 2021

Tom Strangward, Senior Coordinator, Technical & Standing Committees

Housing starts in advance of shallow utility construction has become commonplace in the Calgary region.  Although this is not ideal, it cannot always be avoided in some developments in the City of Calgary.  The Shallow Utilities Consortiums’ project management representatives work with the site Prime Contractor (Developer or Developer Representative) and builder representatives for each project to plan and schedule work where housing starts, obstacles, material storage, or other conflicts and safety considerations exist in relation to the shallow utility contractor’s proposed work plan.  This was previously addressed through a 2008 joint task force with UDI – Calgary, the CHBA – Calgary Region and the Shallow Utilities Consortium, who released multiple bulletins in July 2009 and re-issued in December 2015.

In the interest of construction efficiency and to ensure everyone goes home safely, the expectations and responsibilities originally identified by UDI (BILD Calgary Region), the Canadian Home Builders Association – Calgary, and the Shallow Utilities Consortium remain important and are revisited below.

Expectations on the Worksite

• Site safety must be the priority at all times, for the Developer as the Prime Contractor in URD projects, as well as shallow utilities contractors and Builders working on the site.