Pre-Dig Photos: A Simple Way to Protect Your Crew

This article originally appeared in our “Movie Monday” LinkedIn newsletter.

Call me naive, but I like to believe in the good of people. I like to believe that most of us are inherently good and have the best of intentions (key word, “most”).

But sadly, there are countless instances in life where people try to pull a fast one on each other — especially when money is involved.

When it comes to damages to underground utilities, determining fault and responsibility for covering the cost of fixing the issue can bring out some bad actors.

Most crews know what to do AFTER a damage happens.

Our damage investigation product, the Hit Kit, was created for this very moment: documenting the damage and recording the incident clearly.

But here’s the part that doesn’t get talked about enough: photos taken before the first shovel hits the ground might be the most important ones you ever capture.

I recently sat down with Tina Sanders of Texas811, and she talked about the importance of pre-excavation photos and how they should become standard for excavators and construction crews.

She even provided a real-world scenario where an excavator avoided a lawsuit thanks to taking photos prior to beginning their work.

And honestly, it’s one of the easiest habits crews can build.

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The Pre-Dig Photo Checklist

You don’t need a full production crew. Just a phone, a few minutes, and a plan.

1. Stage the job site before you shoot

If you’ve got a Hit Kit, use the ruler and posts to clearly show where everything sits: paint, flags, and proposed excavation area.

This helps create a visual reference that actually makes sense later.

2. Capture the full picture

Don’t just snap one photo and call it good.

As a person who works in media production, I can attest that you can never have enough photos or videos to work with.

Walk the site and grab images and videos of:

• North, south, east, and west angles
• Wide shots of the full area
• Be sure to capture landmarks, street signs, and any other equipment
• Close-ups of markings, flags, and utilities

Tina emphasized getting that full 360-degree view so there’s no guessing later.

3. Show the tolerance zone clearly

Make sure your markings and white paint are visible in relation to each other. That’s where a lot of disputes live.

If it’s not clear in the photo, it might as well not exist.

4. Make it a Best Practice

Pre-excavation photography only takes a few minutes, butt if it’s not part of the routine, it gets skipped.

Making it a standard practice in your operations can save you a lot of headaches down the road.

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The Bottom Line

Tina shared a story about an excavator getting blamed for damaging a property and a dog getting lost. The homeowners attempted to sue to the crew for damages.

The only reason that crew didn’t get stuck paying for was because they had pre-excavation photos showing the issue existed before they touched anything.

Case closed.

Pre-dig photos do three things:

• Protect your crew
• Protect your company
• Help tell the real story when something goes wrong

And when you pair that with tools like the Hit Kit, you’re documenting the job from start to finish.

So take the photo before the dig!

Future you will be glad you did.