The Danish Register of Underground Cable Owners (LER) was launched in March 2005 in order to prevent accidental damages to underground utility cables (carrying gas, electricity, telephone signals, drinking water, heating water, waste water, etc.), to lower administration costs in the contracting sector and to increase supply security. The immediate beneficiaries are professional cable owners and contractors and, further on, the end-users of utilities.

LER contains information on all companies and associations who own underground cables in Denmark. Between March 1 and September 1 2005 all owners of cables registered their areas of interest in the register. An area of interest is the geographical area in which an owner of cables own cables. The exact location of cables is thus not registered. Since September 1, 2005, all companies performing underground construction activities have been legally obliged to enquire in the register before the beginning of the activities.

LER basically works like a phone book ensuring contact between owners of cables and contractors. When a contractor enquires in relation to a specific construction site, the contractor receives contact details on all owners of underground cables on the site. Based on this information the contractor can easily contact the correct cable owners and receive detailed information on the specific location of cables. Private citizens are not obliged to register their cables in LER. In addition, they are not obliged to enquire in the register when the perform construction activities on their own property, although they can choose to do so.

The register is web-based and access is given through the use of the state-authorised electronic signature on www.ler.dk. Smaller companies, who cannot or do not wish to use the Internet, can receive assistance on a commercial basis from private consultants. This set-up ensures that all users are able to use the register, while the costs are kept low. This set-up means that the register is based on access solely through a digital channel – for the first time in Denmark.

LER draws upon a number of existing Danish e-government solutions. The use of electronic signatures means that the main contact details of users are transferred digitally from the national registers of persons and companies. In addition, the digital maps are transferred from the electronic archives of the Danish National Survey and Cadastre.

Download English language presentation on LER.

 

LER is managed by the Danish Enterprice and Construction Authority.