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Digging – what to do if you uncover buried bones

When excavating you may have the experience of uncovering buried bones or other artefacts. Do you know what to do in such a situation? HAUC have released a handy guide to help you!

Who do I call?

  1. TEAMS – Your supervisor or line manager as soon as you discover remains or unidentified buried object. 
  2. SUPERVISOR – Your Line Manager and the HSEQ Advisor / Manager 
  3. LINE MANAGER / HSEQ ADVISOR – The Police using 101 in the 1st instance and if known the Local Authorities Archaeology Dept.

What do I do?

  1. STOP WORK 
  2. DO NOT TOUCH OR MOVE ANYTHING 
  3. Make the call 
  4. Take photographs of site 
  5. Protect the site if possible with plastic sheeting 
  6. Wait for the Police to attend site 
  7. Check all signing, lighting and guarding is in place 
  8. Advise client

27-2022-hauc_buried_bones.pdf (hauc-uk.org.uk)

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