Why Use CAT & Genny for Locating Underground Services?

Contractors or engineers carrying out any kind of excavation work must undertake a survey of the site and locate the buried utility services. Under highways and pavements, there are approximately 1.5 million kms of buried services. So, in order to maintain and repair these buried services, the local highway authorities and utility companies undertake millions of street work each year.

Even though contractors do use the right tools like, CAT & Genny to detect underground services, most of them are not aware of the correct use of the equipment. It is important to survey the area before starting the work so that you can avoid striking a live cable or wire. Each year, the UK reports about 60,000 strikes. Whilst some of them do not cause any injuries or damage, there are some that prove to be fatal. Some of the strikes also result in delaying the project or the loss of reputation for the company. In order to avoid such situations, it is important that contractors have the training to use these tools.

Damaging underground utility services can also result in huge losses for the company. In case other services are nearby like, gas pipes or water pipes, these can also be damaged and there might be risks of fire and explosion. Such situations are definitely not ideal when working.
So, learn the right use of CAT & Genny and be able to create a safe working environment for your workers and the nearby buildings.

Here’s Why You Must Undertake Cable Avoidance Training

When it is about digging up or excavation an area, contractors need to be careful not to strike and damage underground utility services. In the UK, there are miles and miles of buried services and some of them are even found in the most unexpected of places. In the event that a worker strikes a cable, wire or pipe and damages it, it can result in causing severe injury to the workers present on-site, as well as, disruption of services and financial losses. Accidental cable strikes reported each year are already over 60,000, and therefore, you need to be very careful. Cable strikes and resulted accidents can be prevented if contractors learn the use of detection tools like, CAT & Genny.

The CAT or cable avoidance tool can locate live wires and cables that have power running through them. However, the CAT is unable to locate other types of underground services. This is why it is necessary to use the CAT and Genny together. The Genny is basically a signal generator that helps to apply a unique signal to the buried services that the CAT is able to detect easily.

The detection tools do come with a user manual and instructions, but that is not enough to properly operate the equipment. Contractors, engineers and workers are recommended to undertake cable avoidance training to learn the right way to operate the equipment and also learn about its limitations.

So, find a professional training provider and sign up for the course.

Reasons for Using the Cat & Genny For Location of Buried Services

Any contractor undertaking any sort of excavation work, even if it only involves using hand tools, should carry out a survey of the area in order to locate underground services. There are some 1.5 million kms of underground services running under pavements and highways alone, and in order to repair and maintain these, the utility companies and Local Highways Authorities between them undertake over 3.5 million street works every year.

Despite the fact that contractors use the correct tools – the CAT and Genny – in order to locate buried services before commencing any work, there are still some 60,000 strikes of such services every year. Such accidents can result in serious injuries and are sometimes fatal.

Striking an electricity cable can lead to arcing of electricity which causes severe burns. Electric shock is also possible but less likely. Cables may be damaged by the sharp point of a tool, or they can be crushed by heavy machinery. If other services are nearby, such as plastic gas pipes, these can be damaged by live electric cables which have been hit, and there is the risk of explosions and fire.

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Locate Underground Services Using CAT & Genny

The CAT (cable avoidance tool) & Genny (signal generator) is widely used to locate underground utility services before proceeding with any kind of digging or excavation work. On its own, CAT is only capable of locating electricity cables that have power running through them. However, with the power turned off, the CAT will not be able to locate the buried cables. This is why CAT is used in conjunction with Genny. CAt & Genny are able to identify and locate buried services like, clay or plastic pipes, metal water pipes, telecoms and more.

In the UK, there are a number of companies providing professional CAT and Genny training courses in order to prevent cable strikes. The country already experiences over sixty thousand cables strikes each year, which results in causing severe injury to the workers and the people living nearby the excavation site. Even if the strike does not cause damage to human life, it still results in financial losses as the services that are hit remains disabled until the time the cables or pipes have been repaired or replaced. By availing proper training, supervisors, engineers and contractors are able to prevent cable strikes and also employ safe working practices.

The training programmes are called by various names, such as EUSR CAT and Genny training, HSG47 training and so on. Even though all the courses teach how to use cable avoidance tools, the different names are given depending on the authority that the training company is recognised by.

So, if you have any upcoming excavation project, make sure that you enrol yourself for a CAT & Genny course. The course will help you to gain a complete understanding of the limitations and use of the equipment so that you can create a safe working environment.

What Can You Learn by Undertaking a EUSR CAT & Genny Course?

The CAT & Genny training course is specifically designed to give supervisors and operatives in-depth knowledge of how to conduct cable avoidance operations in a safe and secure manner. As a matter of fact, there are several main contractors and businesses that do not allow the work to process unless a survey has been carried out but a trained surveyor who is qualified to the standards of EUSR.

EUSR or the Energy and Utilities Skills Register is a completely independent body that requires surveyors to be trained to the highest level. Only after assessing the training of the surveyor, this recognised body awards the trainer with a EUSR card, which enables the surveyor to work on various projects like, HS2.

By undertaking a EUSR CAT and Genny course, you will be able to learn the following:

• Be able to safely use a pipe detector or cable detector when sent to an excavation site
• You will be capable of identifying and reading electricity, gas, telecom and water service plans by using specialised equipment.
• Identify undamaged, as well as, damaged underground utility services with the use of penetrating radar and such tools
• Gain proper understanding of the guidelines of underground services and the effects of a cable strike
• Identify and locate buried utility services by learning the right use and limitations of the CAT & Genny
• Be able to complete plans that show that the services have been detected and excavation work can proceed safely

EUSR CAT & Genny training programmes are offered by several professional companies. By undertaking this course, you will be ensuring the safety of your workers and yourself, along with the people living near the excavation site. Also, you will not be adding to the 60,000 cable strikes that the UK experience each year.

Helpful Tips to Prevent Cable Strikes

Gas, electricity, water, telecommunications and other such utility network structures are a crucial part of the country’s economic health. Since cities are expanding at an exponential rate, the dependency on more complicated and larger networks of utilities is increasing growing. Also, cities are struggling to maintain the existing infrastructure and finding space for new installations. In order to ensure the smooth operation of the vital services, modernisation and repair programmes have to be undertaken and dig holes to reach underground services.

During any excavation work, workers are inevitably in close proximity to buried utility services. Knowing the exact location of the underground services is crucial as striking a cable leads to financial losses and severe injuries. Below given are a few helpful tips to prevent cable strikes.

• Employing safe working practices: It is important to implement safe and standard working practices when excavating an area. You must follow the utility plans and also make use of utility detection tools.
• Conduct a site survey: A site survey is essential in detecting and locating the underground utility services before digging the area. Knowing the areas to avoid will ensure that cable strike can be prevented, as well as, damage to life.
• Cable avoidance training: Lack of proper utility avoidance training provides an added risk to the excavation team. The incidence of cable strikes can be reduced by gaining proper knowledge of how to use cable detection tools.

So, before starting excavating, make sure that you have the right training and knowledge about the right methods of locating underground services.

Things You Need to Know About CAT & Genny Training

It is estimated that more than four million excavations take place in the UK each year. Most of these digging work happens without proper examination of the existing buried assets. This results in accidental cable strikes of electrical cables or gas pipelines, which is an important risk to the utility structure. Cable strikes result in injury, loss of life and delay in projects. What is surprising is the fact that these incidents can be prevented if you are trained in the use of CAT & Genny.

The CAT & Genny tools are used to detect and locate buried or hidden cables on groundwork, excavation and construction sites. The CAT detects buried utilities so that the workers are able to avoid them when they are digging up the area. The Genny mode on CAT is basically a signal generator and it helps to detect signals from metal services that naturally radiate from them. By enrolling for a national recognised CAT and Genny training programme, you will learn the following:

• The primary or basic principles of detecting and locating underground utility services
• The operation and use of pipe locators
• The accurate interpretation of plans and records
• The ability to easily identify safe working practices and equipment
• Deep understanding of how non-metallic pipe locators function
• The precise way of mapping and surveying an area before beginning the excavation process

So, sign up for a training programme and stay safe by avoiding cable strikes.