The link below goes to a news article and video, showing a real incident of external interference, which occurred in June 2022, in the UK.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/watch-builder-miracle-escape-gas-pipe-explosion-111710226.html

This link may not be functional forever. I have a copy of an mp4 file, and will post it if this link stops working.

A fencing contractor is doing his job, and then gets a fright.

Many risk reviews (AS2885 Safety Management Studies) try to address this clear threat to pipelines. Depth of cover goes some way, but awareness is what we often end up relying upon.

So the problem is, preventing this often relies on the behaviour of others.

This is not always science, it’s psychology.

The question is: why was the fencing contractor not aware of the buried service?

So maybe consider more than the unfortunate fencing contractor. What about the pipeline operator’s community/land user liaison program?