Utility Locating

The construction industry must ensure that workers are trained to safely operate around infrastructure networks and assets, including power, water, gas, and telecommunications systems. This knowledge is essential to prevent harm to themselves, the environment, and the community.

This project aims to evaluate RIICCM202E Identify, locate and protect underground services and explore potential new training products to achieve two main objectives. The first objective is to develop a product that supports workers in enhancing their locating and occupational skills. The second objective is to provide specific locating skills for any tradesperson who may need to “break the ground.”

A Technical Committee has been established to provide expert advice, identify any impacts on learners, and possible implementation issues. The Technical Committee members will also identify any additional stakeholders that should be included in the consultation strategy to assist with this project.

Technical Committee Members

The Terms of Reference for the Technical Committee can be found below.

The first Technical Committee meeting will be held in May 2025. In the Training Product Development phase, there could be up to 6 Technical Committee meetings. Meetings will be for a duration of 2-4 hours and will be held via a combination of face to face and online formats.

In August 2025 the first draft training product will be published on our website for public consultation and feedback. Further to this, from August to October 2025 there will be two online public consultations.

From November 2025 the Technical Committee will be required to meet again to conduct further revisions to the draft training products, based on feedback received through the public consultation.

The final draft training product will be sent to our Commonwealth and State/Territory Senior Responsible Officers in March 2026.

The finalisation and submission of the training product to the Assurance Body is proposed to be made in May 2026. Implementation and promotion of the new training product is expected to commence in June 2026.

Please note these dates may be subject to change throughout the project.

BuildSkills has established a Consultation Strategy that identifies key stakeholders and outlines mechanisms for engaging with them during the drafting of training products. This strategy includes the management of public consultations on the drafted products and the processing of feedback received.

The consultation methods employed by BuildSkills consist of in-person and virtual meetings, online surveys, focus groups, industry workshops, and feedback submitted through the website, or via email.

BuildSkills will engage the following stakeholders throughout the training product development process: