Excavation Permit Software for Oil & Gas
A customizable 1926 Subpart P workflow: utility locate documentation, soil classification, protective system selection, daily competent-person inspections, and offline capture. Built for oilfield crews digging pipeline tie-ins and well pads.
What Is Excavation Permit Software?
Excavation permit software digitizes the authorization workflow OSHA 1926 Subpart P requires before ground disturbance. Instead of paper permits signed at the tailgate meeting, the competent person captures the utility locate ticket, soil classification, protective system, and daily inspection logs on a phone or tablet — all tied to the specific dig location.
For oilfield contractors, excavation shows up on pipeline tie-ins, well pad construction, facility buried infrastructure work, and tank battery foundations. Most operators require a site-specific permit before any dig on their property, and a failed locate or missed competent-person inspection is the kind of finding that gets you pulled off a bid list.
Because every BasinCheck audit checklist is a customizable template, you can adapt the excavation workflow for pipeline proximity, cathodic protection considerations, operator-specific requirements, or any site where the default template needs tightening.
Where Paper Excavation Permits Fall Apart
These are the gaps that show up during operator audits and excavation incident investigations.
Common Paper Permit Problems
- Utility locate tickets filed separately from the excavation record, never linked
- Soil classification noted as 'Type B' with no photo, no documentation, no competent person signoff
- Daily competent person inspections verbal — or not happening at all
- No atmospheric testing record for excavations over 4 feet (1926.651(g) requirement)
- Protective system choice (sloping vs shoring) not documented in writing
- Operator audit requests 90 days of excavation records and the paperwork is gone
What BasinCheck Gives You for Excavation
Everything you need to authorize, monitor, and close excavation work — built for oilfield crews and operated from a phone.
JSA System Template — Excavation & Trenching
BasinCheck ships with a built-in Excavation & Trenching JSA system template covering the four phases of the work: utility locating, soil classification, protective system installation, and daily competent person inspections. Attach it directly to any excavation permit.
Highly Customizable — Adapt the Template in Minutes
Every BasinCheck audit checklist is a customizable template. Clone the excavation template, add items for pipeline proximity, specific facility locate requirements, or operator-specific permits, and publish to your crews. Template edits take minutes, not feature requests.
Competent Person Daily Inspections
OSHA 1926.651(k) requires a competent person to inspect excavations daily, before each shift, after rainstorms, and after any hazard-increasing event. BasinCheck captures every inspection with timestamps, photos, and the competent person's signature on the same permit record.
Utility Locate Documentation
Capture the 811 / one-call ticket number, marked-utility photos, and hand-dig clearance confirmation directly on the permit. The locate evidence lives in the audit trail permanently, tied to the specific dig location.
Offline-First on Rig Sites
Supervisors can issue permits, competent persons can log daily inspections, and crews can complete work fully offline. Every signed permit and reading syncs when connectivity returns with cryptographically signed operation logs for tamper-evident compliance.
Auto-Generated Corrective Actions
Missing locate, unclassified soil, inadequate shoring, missing atmospheric test on a 6-foot excavation — any failed checklist item auto-generates a tracked corrective action with an owner, due date, and required photo evidence on resolution.
The Excavation Permit Lifecycle
Every excavation follows the same five stages. BasinCheck manages each one, with the full audit trail attached to the permit record.
Locate
Before any ground disturbance, the supervisor documents the 811 / one-call utility ticket, captures photos of marked utilities, and confirms hand-dig clearance around any buried line. No shovel touches soil until the locate is verified and captured in the permit record.
Classify
The competent person classifies the soil (Stable Rock, Type A, Type B, Type C) and determines the required protective system — sloping, benching, shielding, or shoring. The classification drives allowable depths and the protection method, both captured in the permit with photo evidence of the soil face.
Authorize
The permit is submitted with digital signatures from the competent person, the supervisor, and each entrant. The attached JSA walks through entry hazards, rescue plan, atmospheric testing requirements for deep excavations, and stop-work authority. Signed permits stamp the work window and entry limits.
Monitor
The competent person logs daily inspections before the start of each shift, after any rainstorm, and after any event that could increase hazards (vibration, nearby equipment, change in weather). Atmospheric readings for excavations over 4 feet are captured in the same record with timestamps.
Close
When the excavation is backfilled, the supervisor closes the permit with a final competent person inspection and a backfill verification. The closed permit lives in the audit trail permanently — searchable, exportable, linked to any corrective actions or near-miss reports generated during the dig.
BasinCheck vs Other Excavation Permit Tools
Honest comparison against the most-searched alternatives.
| Feature | BasinCheck | SafetyCulture | Intelex | KPA EHS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in Excavation & Trenching JSA template | Template marketplace | Enterprise module | ||
| Utility locate ticket linked to permit | Custom fields | Partial | ||
| Daily competent person inspection logs | Custom forms | |||
| Highly customizable — edit any checklist | Consulting engagement | |||
| Full offline permit authorization | Partial | |||
| Flat pricing from $149/mo | $24 user/mo | Enterprise quote | Enterprise quote |
Frequently Asked Questions
Every Dig, Every Locate, Every Inspection — In One Record
Customizable 1926 Subpart P workflow, utility locate evidence, daily competent-person inspections, and offline capture. Start your 7-day free trial.