Spoiler: It starts before the shovel hits the dirt
Integrity digs are anything but routine. They’re the gatekeepers of pipeline profitability, positive reputation and regulatory standing. Each one has a different story. An anomaly to check out, an aging coating to confirm, a segment of line that just needs a closer look. But whether the site’s in a cornfield, a city block or a swamp, the key to a great dig is always the same: a solid plan.
Because when your crew has already planned for the worst-case scenario — with a clear handle on the risks, environmental factors, and what’s hiding underground — and a rock-solid plan for spoil, backfill, shoring, and excavation, things just click. It’s all downhill from the moment the truck rolls onsite. And that sense of peace and confidence our preparation gives operators? It’s almost as powerful as knowing exactly where your pipeline stands.
Integrity Digs: Why quality matters
When executed correctly, an integrity dig gives you what every operator needs most: certainty. Is this segment stable? Is it safe? Is it compliant? You get real answers, backed by clear evidence.
But when a dig goes sideways, it doesn’t just fail to answer those questions — it creates more of them. The kind that make your stomach drop when you get a work notification after hours and make you two hours late to family dinner on week nights.
But integrity dig quality boils down to more than just convenience and peace of mind. Regulations are cracking down on asset integrity transparency. Under PHMSA’s Integrity Management Program, operators must assess pipeline segments in High Consequence Areas and act on any threats. That depends on field verification. If your dig is rushed, disorganized or poorly documented, you’re not in compliance or in control.
You can’t fix what you can’t confirm. So if your dig adds confusion, damaged coatings, missing photos or no chain of custody, you’re not just wasting time. You’re delaying decisions, increasing exposure, and setting yourself up to do it all over again.
Charps puts the integrity in integrity digs. We plan them like a shutdown, staff them like a capital project and execute with the discipline of a high-stakes inspection. A subpar integrity dig is a hole in the ground. A great integrity dig is holistic pipeline asset integrity confidence.
Preparation is everything
90% of a successful integrity dig happens before the first shovel hits dirt. Every dig starts with a rigorous, repeatable planning process built to remove guesswork, minimize risk and proactively protect the quality of the integrity assessment. The result? You get critical visibility into your asset’s integrity and health without rework, delays or costly gaps in data that force your team to circle back later. Here’s why our digs run smoother, finish faster and deliver more relevant, comprehensive insight.
Step 1: Walk the site
The first thing we do after receiving a dig request is put boots on the ground. A Charps superintendent or project lead walks the site in person — not just to assess the technical variables, but to meet the client, understand the story behind the scope and start building trust face-to-face.
Beyond logistics, it’s about listening. We find out operator concerns, what’s driving the timeline and how we can make the process run as smoothly as possible.
Step 2: Build the plan
Once the site has been walked and the conditions preliminarily assessed we create a custom-built execution plan that reflects the clients’ unique goals, realities of the location, scope complexity and regulatory obligations.
Pre-dig planning
We clearly define the dig’s scope by assessing terrain conditions, utility layout and site accessibility to identify (and plan for) any variables that could affect safety, scheduling or crew logistics. Then, we determine the best excavation method – Mechanical, Hand Dig, Dry Vac, Wet Vac, etc.).
Utility avoidance
Subsurface conflicts are avoided through proactive coordination. We initiate 811 locates and, when needed, bring in private locating crews for added assurance. In congested or aging corridors, we plan for potholing, long-hose vac setups or low-impact excavation. We don’t rely solely on records. We identify unmapped lines and plan exposure paths that reduce strike risk and downtime.
Spoil and backfill strategy
Material handling plays a bigger role than many expect. Before excavation begins, we designate spoil staging zones, evaluate whether material can be reused or needs to be hauled off and stage necessary environmental controls. This includes laying liner fabric, installing berms or positioning frack tanks for dewatering (if groundwater is expected).
Shoring and excavation controls
Every dig is evaluated for soil stability, depth and footprint to determine the proper shoring approach. We use hydraulic speed shoring systems or engineered trench boxes based on site needs, especially on deep or narrow digs where collapse risk is elevated.
NDE and Repair Coordination
We coordinate closely with the operator’s inspection team to schedule NDE during the appropriate window. Our team ensures the exposed pipe is clean, dry and safely accessible for anomaly confirmation. These findings lay the groundwork for fast, effective execution of other maintenance needs, such as composite repairs, sleeves, pipe replacements, or recoating.
Environmental risk management
If there’s a chance the dig will intersect contaminated soil, legacy coatings or high groundwater, we develop contingency plans so we’re never caught off guard. That includes staging lined containment areas for spoil, scheduling sampling and testing, and bringing in dewatering equipment where necessary. Our crews are trained and certified in HAZWOPER and asbestos coating removal — so we’re always ready for where the project takes us.
Documentation
Documentation starts well before the first shovel hits the ground. During planning, we record site assessments, utility locate confirmations, equipment selections, safety plans and environmental risk strategies. Then, as the work progresses, we continue capturing key data points and share project updates with our clients weekly. Total client transparency drives our integrity dig approach.
Step 3: Mobilize the troops and equipment
When it’s time to break ground, we move with complete precision. The site’s been walked, the plan’s locked in, and the risks are already accounted for. At that point, it’s just follow-through. And with our dynamic union-backed employment model and deep bench of trained craft labor, we get crews on sites within days instead of weeks.
Often, the same superintendent who planned the job leads the field execution, ensuring continuity, clear direction and fewer surprises when conditions change. That alignment means less ramp-up time and faster progress.
We also come equipped with our own fleet of Dry Vac and Hydrovac trucks and immediate access to excavation and support gear should conditions change.
How it all comes together
An integrity dig without integrity is nothing more than a hole in the ground. We’ve heard the horror stories from clients about their past contractors, and how lack of preparation and planning results in half-finished jobs, lagging timelines and digs that are completely off the mark. Sometimes weeks of time is lost because the right equipment or the superintendent simply wasn’t familiar with the terrain. And operators pay the price for contractors’ strategic shortcomings in compliance risk, cost overruns and operational headaches.
Charps understands integrity digs are the direct output of preparation, discipline, communication and control at each phase of the planning process. Each step lays the groundwork for the next.
The site walk informs the plan. The plan drives the mobilization. And once boots hit the ground, execution is seamless because everything’s been thought through in advance.