EUSR Cable Avoidance Training: Master Safe Utility Detection

The Energy & Utility Skills Register is an online database of training and skills in the energy and utility sectors. It comprises those who have completed EUSR HSG47 training and/or assessments. When you talk about utilities, you're talking about EUSR.

They are the primary authorities in granting and approving utilities-related credentials such as excavations, locating, gas, water and more. If you're looking for EUSR-certified qualifications, you'll be delighted to hear that the top institutions are completely authorised.

What is the EUSR course?

The EUSR HSG47 course focuses on finding utility services. This course is intended to give the most up-to-date information and training for anybody operating in or near subsurface utilities and overhead lines in order to prevent striking or causing damage. Anyone may attend, and there are no qualifications. It contains detailed information about a variety of utility-related topics, as well as instructions on cable avoidance technologies.

EUSR Category 1 and 2 Training

This training is aimed at people who operate in excavations and need to securely detect utility services using known and authorised detection procedures.

Objectives

Delegates will learn how to properly utilise a CAT and Genny to find subsurface services, as well as safe excavation practices.

Course content covers relevant regulations and how they apply to employing technology like CAT Genny.

●     The aim of the CAT and Genny concerning building projects

●     The goal of conducting an on-site survey of existing services, and the many types of surveys offered

●     Workers must wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

●     How to identify various utilities from site drawings and in-situ on the ground

●     Working in and near existing subsurface utilities presents hazards and risks.

●     The several functions of the CAT and their meaning

●     The several functions of the Genny and their meaning

●     Safe digging procedures around subterranean services include drilling trial holes and sustaining excavations properly.

●     How to deal with damaged services and what the consequences of service strikes

●     How to recognise various soil types when excavating and the hazards of collapse.

●     The impact of water infiltration and vibration on excavation stability

●     The need for proper segregation when operating near excavations

●     How to comply with environmental criteria for the storage of excavated soil

●     Understanding the many kinds of instruments that may be used for excavation

There are several possibilities for subsurface services and cable avoidance tool training. So it all relies on your motivations for training and the desired consequences once completed. 

Guide to Conducting Site Surveys in Compliance with HSG47

Site surveys must be carried out in accordance with HSG47 to ensure the protection of all workers and underground utilities from the dangers of excavation. EUSR HSG47 is the guidance coming from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that allows people to minimise the risks from underground services.

The following is a step-by-step guide on undertaking site surveys based on HSG47 principles.

Step 1: Pre-Survey Planning

The first thing in preparing for any excavation work is planning. It initiates with the collection of available records and plans of underground utilities from utility providers. These records provide a rough idea regarding the presence of services at a site and their location. Again, these records are not updated in many cases and might not be accurate; therefore, verification has to be performed.

Step 2: Inspection and Marking the Site

This should be followed by a physical site inspection to locate any evident indications of underground utilities, including inspection covers, valve boxes, or surface scars. Such marking should be accompanied by appropriate marking methods, either by spray paint or flags, to indicate the presence of the utilities identified at their respective locations. It helps workers recognise possible hazards during excavation.

Step 3: Deploying Detection Equipment

The majority of services underground require advanced detection equipment to locate them precisely. Cable locators and GPR are the most common tools used by operators to detect metallic and non-metallic utilities. Those operating these devices should be suitably trained and competent for accurate readings. 

Step 4: Consulting Utility Providers

Communication with the utilities providers is vital in establishing if indeed there are utilities laid underground and their condition. The utility companies can offer recommendations and help in identifying specific utility locations and supervise the work if need be. 

Step 5: Documenting the Findings and Crafting a Safe Plan

All findings, immediately after a completed survey, should be well documented. This documentation should include detailed maps with descriptions of the identified utilities, plus any discrepancies noted in the survey. With this information, a safe excavation plan can be developed which delineates avoidance procedures that will prevent damage to utilities. Communicate this plan to all workers associated with the project and make them aware of potential hazards and safe practices.

Conclusion

It follows a multi-step process: careful planning, thorough inspection, and effective communication while conducting site surveys in compliance with EUSR HSG47. These guidelines, therefore, are very useful to construction and utility firms in minimising the risks associated with causing damage to underground services, hence ensuring that their workers and continuity of crucial utilities are safeguarded. 

What are the key components of the HSG47 course?

The HSG47 course is a crucial training programme designed to educate individuals on how to conduct groundwork and excavation operations safely. The objective of this course is to prevent serious injuries and fatalities resulting from striking buried utilities like gas pipes, electricity cables, and water mains. 

The key components of this course are:

● Understanding buried services - The course offers a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of buried utilities. Participants learn about the different types of underground services, including their potential hazards, characteristics, and the risks associated with accidentally striking them.

 

● Preparation and planning - The crucial steps in avoiding buried utility strikes are planning and preparation. The course teaches how to conduct site surveys and gather enough information about the buried services before commencing work. This includes reviewing utility maps, using detection tools, and consulting with utility providers to accurately locate underground services. 

● Safe excavation practices - Safe digging practices are outlined in this course. Following these practices, you can reduce the risk of damaging buried utilities and prevent damage to lives and infrastructure. 

● Use of detection tools - The HSG47 course covers the use of detection tools, such as operating CAT and Genny effectively. This training includes theoretical knowledge, along with practical exercise to make sure individuals can confidently use these tools and accurately locate underground services. They are also taught the limitations of these detection tools. 

● Assessment and management of risk - This is another integral component of the course. Participants are specifically trained to carry out thorough risk assessments to identify potential hazards and employ control measures to mitigate them. This helps in reducing the severity of cable strikes. 

● Regulatory and legal compliance - The HSG47 course covers the regulatory and legal requirements related to underground utility avoidance. Participants are taught about relevant health and safety regulations so they remain compliant and uphold the safety standards. 

● Guidance on emergency procedures - The course offers guidance on how to handle emergency procedures in the event of a cable strike. Participants are trained to swiftly respond to incidents so they can minimize the impact of cable strikes. 

Final thoughts 

The course equips individuals with the skills and knowledge required to manage construction or excavation projects safely whilst avoiding the dangers associated with buried services. Through this comprehensive training, participants are taught the art of planning, detecting underground services, managing risk and responding in an emergency. Also, they are trained to remain compliant and uphold safety standards.

What is HSG47 Training All About?

A lot of people are not sure about HSG47 training. HSG47 is a guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on the planning, commissioning, managing and also carrying out work near or on underground utility services. The third and latest edition was produced by the HSE in 2014 and the guidance is still followed today.

The HSG47 guidance applies to any and all situations where buried utility services might be found and disturbed. This can include road works, street works, site remediation and demolition, excavation, piling and drilling, site investigation surveys and any other such work that includes penetrating the ground below the surface level.

Damage to buried utility services can cause severe injury to the workforce and grave environmental damage. In almost all cases, a cable strike delays the project and there might even be financial implications. Since the UK already witnesses about 60,000 cable strikes each year, it is recommended that anybody undertaking construction or excavation project gets the proper cable avoidance training first. The situation is entirely preventable with the right training.

The thing is that underground utility services can be anywhere. It can even be in places that you least expect it to be. Unless you want to delay the completion of your project and end up paying hefty compensation fees, you will sign up for HSG47 training and make yourself aware of the dangers of hitting or striking underground utility services. Make sure to get training from a reputed and professional provider.

Training For Operatives In Buried Services Location To HSE and British Standards Institution Levels

There are so many underground utilities running just a few feet below the surface of the ground that the safest thing when considering any sort of excavation is to assume that there are some where you want to dig, unless you know for a fact that there are not.

Cable strikes of one description or another occur every day up and down the country. Many cause some minor inconvenience while a utility is repaired, but others cause serious injury and death. In fact, there are on average around 12 deaths a year as a result of striking utilities. Striking a water pipe is bad enough, but hitting a power cable or gas pipe is more than serious.

HSG47 is a guide produce by the Health and Safety Executive and is aimed at all those involved in commissioning, planning, managing, and carrying out work on or near underground services. It outlines the potential dangers of working near underground services and gives advice on how to reduce any direct risks to people's health and safety, as well as the indirect risks arising through damage to services. In addition, it explains the three basic elements of working safely, which are planning, locating and identifying buried utilities, and carrying out excavation safely. HSG47 training is available from a number of training companies.

Read more on : HSG47

Plans Are Not Always Reliable When Tracing Underground Cables And Pipes

Electromagnetic detection of underground cables has been in use since the turn of the 20th century and today this method of locating buried pipes and cables is almost universal. The main disadvantage of using this method is that it will not locate plastic pipes or any other lines that are non-metallic. However, utility companies that take the trouble to add a tracer wire to plastic pipes will not have any problem.

Plans should always be used when attempting to locate buried pipes and cables, but one of the problems is that many of them are inaccurate, and in other instances are not in existence. Confusion can also be caused when buried cables are close to each other, or where one may be above another. 

The RD8100 is the latest in a long line of electromagnetic detectors which have been developed over a period of 40 years. Radiodetection RD8100 training is available from specialist companies that provide cable detection training to the employees of contractors who are likely to undertake any sort of groundworks and will need to be aware of the likelihood of any problems with utility cables on the site.

Read more on : Radiodetection RD8100 training