Underground Surveys Should Always Be Carried Out Prior To Excavation

Damage to underground services can cause severe, and even fatal, injuries in addition to environmental damage and delays to the project resulting in a large amount of costs. This is why an underground survey should be taken by a qualified surveyor who has taken a recognised CAT and Genny training course before any groundwork is undertaken. 

This applies even if the excavation is to take place in the middle of a field way out in the countryside. It may well be that the cows which are grazing gently are actually standing over an electricity cable which used a short cut from one village to the next.

When a live cable is penetrated by any sort of tool, injuries can be caused by the explosive effects of an arcing current and any associated fire or explosion. If there are plastic gas pipes close by these could also explode. Damage to gas pipes directly can cause leaks or explosions. There can be an immediate leak, or the damage could cause a leak to occur later on. A liquified petroleum gas leak is worse than natural gas as it is heavier than air and can travel underground to build up in below ground areas like cellars.

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The Risks Of Striking Buried Utilities

One of the biggest risks that face contractors undertaking any sort of groundwork is that of accidentally hitting buried services. It is estimated that striking cables and other utilities occurs more than 60,000 times every year. To put it into perspective that is 1,200 every week - or around 200 every working day. 

Apart from any other consideration, that causes a lot of damage to the utilities which in turn can lead to immense financial implications for the contracting company involved. The utility provider will have to carry out repairs which will be charged to the contractor, and while this takes place, the contractor has operatives standing idle. The contractor’s customer may charge penalties for the delay in the work, and there can be other financial implications also: for instance, a company may claim for damages for interruption of its’ operations if the power suddenly goes down. It has not been unknown for a contractor to go out of business as a result of a cable strike.

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