At Clark Builders, we’re more than a construction company — we’re purpose driven pa rtners committed to building stronger communities. Serving institutional, commercial, and industrial clients across Western and Northern Canada since 1974, we bring a relationship-based approach, deep expertise , and a commitment to safety, innovation, and sustainability to everything we do. As part of the Turner Construction family, we offer the personalized culture of a local team with the strength of a global leader. Learn more about our Purpose and what drives us by visiting our Who We Are page.
Position Description:
The Ground Disturbance Marshal is responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and verifying the safe execution of all ground disturbance, excavation, trenching, drilling, hydrovac, post installation, piling, and other activities that may disturb soil or impact buried facilities on the project.
This role acts as a field-level critical control owner for ground disturbance risk. The Ground Disturbance Marshal verifies that required permits, locates, drawings, approvals, agreements, hazard assessments, plans, daily checklists, and field controls are in place before work begins and remain effective throughout the work. The role has the authority and responsibility to stop work when controls are missing, unclear, ineffective, expired, or when conditions change.
The position will initially be based out of our main office in Edmonton, Alberta, with the role later shifting to a project site located near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.
This is a full-time, fixed-term role with an expected duration of 18 months.
Reports to: Project Superintendent, Project Safety Manager
Essential Duties & Key Responsibilities:
- Verify that ground disturbance work is not permitted to proceed until all required planning and authorization steps are complete.
- Confirm that the scope, location, limits of disturbance, expected depth, width, length, equipment, method, and sequence of work are clearly defined.
- Confirm that no ground is disturbed at or beyond 15 cm / 6 inches until buried facilities have been identified, locations marked, required approvals or agreements are in place, a Ground Disturbance Plan is approved, a valid permit is issued, and required daily checklists are complete.
- Confirm that facility owners have been contacted, advised of the proposed work, and requested to identify and mark affected facilities before ground disturbance or concrete removal begins.
- Ensure locate documentation is current, available at the work front, and reviewed with the work crew before work starts.
- Verify that permit conditions, locate expiry dates, facility-owner requirements, and supervision requirements are understood and followed.
- Support the maintenance of the ground disturbance permit log, including permit numbers, issue dates, expiry dates, receivers, locations, status, and closeout dates.
- Participate in Kick-Off meetings with ground disturbance contractors.
- Ensure that daily Pre-Task Plans / Pre-Task Safety Instructions reflect current site conditions, permit requirements, excavation controls, equipment interfaces, and utility risks.
- Maintain effective communication between ground disturbance contractors and the Key General Contractors.
- Verify that appropriate ground disturbance zone classifications are identified on plans, permits, and the project ground disturbance map.
- Confirm minimum controls and supervision are applied based on zone classifications.
- Stop work if the work area, method, supervision, utility information, or conditions no longer match the approved zone classification.
- Confirm that all warning signs, flags, stakes, paint, and markers remain visible and legible for the duration of the work.
- Ensure locate marks are maintained, protected, and re-established if damaged, moved, covered, unclear, or destroyed.
- Verify that buried facilities are exposed to sight by hand digging, hydrovac, or another approved non-destructive method before mechanical excavation occurs within the required hand-expose zone or facility limits of approach.
- Verify ground disturbance activities adhere to required exposure distances.
- Confirm that pipeline operator or facility-owner consent, supervision, and notification requirements are in place before work proceeds in a pipeline right-of-way, controlled area, or within required approach distances.
- Ensure exposed buried facilities are protected, supported, and not damaged during excavation, work execution, backfill, or reinstatement.
- Verify that spoil piles, materials, and equipment are kept minimum distances away from the excavation edge.
- Confirm safe access and egress are provided for trenches and excavations.
- Confirm that trenches and excavations are protected by sloping, benching, shoring, shielding, a trench box, or another approved protective system.
- Verify atmospheric testing is completed before entry into excavations and trenches where hazardous atmospheres may exist.
- Ensure barricades, signage, lighting, access routes, traffic controls, and restricted areas are maintained.
- Stop work when documentation gaps are identified, unknown utilities are discovered, a utility is contacted, conditions change, and/or stated requirements are not followed.
- Ensure any contact, damage, near miss, unexpected facility discovery, or uncontrolled condition is reported immediately to site supervision, HSE, the owner, facility owner, and other required parties.
- Support incident investigation, corrective action development, and lessons learned.
- Ensure work does not resume after an incident or near miss until controls are reassessed, corrected, and reapproved.
- Support maintenance of complete ground disturbance records.
Qualifications:
- Demonstrated experience coordinating or supervising ground disturbance, excavation, trenching, hydrovac, civil, utility, pipeline, earthworks, or infrastructure work.
- Strong working knowledge of Alberta ground disturbance expectations, excavation safety, utility locate requirements, and safe digging practices.
- Ability to read and interpret drawings, as-builts, utility plans, crossing agreements, locate reports, and field markings.
- Knowledge of excavation hazards, including cave-in, utility strike, equipment interaction, traffic exposure, water accumulation, hazardous atmospheres, and fall hazards.
- Understanding of the hierarchy of controls, JHA / hazard assessment processes, permit systems, and daily pre-task planning.
- Ability to identify existing and foreseeable hazardous conditions and take prompt corrective action.
- Strong field communication skills with operators, supervisors, spotters, watch persons, hydrovac crews, and Trade Partner leadership.
- Confidence to exercise stop-work authority when required.
- Ability to maintain accurate records and documentation.
- Valid site orientation and required project access training.
- Training in excavation safety, confined space awareness, mobile equipment awareness, traffic control, and incident investigation is considered an asset.
Ready to build your career with us? Apply now and join a team that’s making a real impact.
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