Having a lookout is not unique to the public sector, you see plenty on jobs undertaken by private contractors with lookouts. For all we know it might be a health and safety requirement in any circumstances where mechanical digging is taking place, perhaps someone in the know might enlighten us. At the end of the day it is probably cheaper to pay a guy to stand there rather than a payout to some phone zombie who has got clattered with the bucket, then there is always the professional compensation seeker eg Uncle Albert - Only Fools & Horses.

Richard