Utility Mapping Reduces the Risks of Cable Strikes

The importance of utility mapping cannot be overstated, especially for those involved in digging and excavation activities. Before starting any kind of street work, it is crucial to carry out utility mapping. This helps in safeguarding subsurface activity by identifying the precise location of underground utilities and such other foreign obstructions. This way workers can safely operate without having to think about the risks of cable strikes.

For accurate utility mapping, surveyors have to know the correct use of cable avoidance tools, such as CAT & Genny. When CAT and Genny are used in tandem, they help in identifying and detecting the location of almost all underground utility services. The surveyor can map out those areas and mark them so that when the digging process commences, workers can avoid those specific areas.

Thanks to utility mapping, accidents and injuries on the worksite can be avoided. Also, damage to underground utility services can be prevented, along with the prevention of extra expenditure that might be the direct result of hitting or damaging a buried cable, wire or pipe.

But, not everyone can become a surveyor. This task must only be carried out by an experienced and expert professional who has completed the utility mapping course. The completion of the course means that the individual is aware of not just the right use of the cable avoidance tools, but also has knowledge of its limitations.

So, if you are engaged in such kind of activity that involves working in and around buried utility services, you should consider undertaking a course.

Things to Know About PAS 256

The UK has a wide network of local authority and utility infrastructure. There is more than 1.5 million km of assets that are buried beneath footways and highways of the nation. To upgrade, maintain and repair this, the Local Highways Authority and the utility industry undertake more than 3.5 million street works annually.

However, carrying out excavation or digging work is difficult because there is a large repository of underground utility services. It is crucial to detect the exact location of the buried utility services before commencing any kind of digging work to avoid accidents and mishaps. So, the exchange of asset information must be readily available so that excavation projects can be properly planned and completed within the stipulated time. This is where PAS 256 was created to support the creation of digital maps that use real world location and provide a step change in how effectively managing data can improve planning, coordination and delivery.

PAS 256 aims to provide a framework for those who own buried assets to:

• Improve accuracy when recording and capturing information
• Share accurate records collaboratively with utility workers or operatives working near buried assets
• Enhance the linkage between assets that are a part of the national infrastructure

The PAS 256 also covers the gathering of geospatial data, the depth of the asset, measurable deviations from straight line installations and so on. To fully understand what it covers, you have to reach out to a PAS 256 training provider.

What Is the EUSR?

Anyone who is not in the contracting business may not have heard of the EUSR. It is the Energy and Utility Skills Register and is an online register of an individual’s training and skills. An EUSR card is an alternative to a CSCS card, and one or the other may be required before an individual is permitted not just to work on certain sites, but even enter them. HS2 is a good example of a project that requires anyone entering a site to be properly registered.

When conducting any sort of cable avoidance survey, the surveyor can be required to possess an EUSR cable avoidance card, which will show proof of EUSR Cat and Genny training. That is not to say that the EUSR itself has carried out the training, but that it is satisfied with the skills of the operative because he or she has trained with one of their recognised training companies and has passed the necessary tests.

HSG47 is guidance from the HSE regarding the undertaking of excavation work and contains a detailed report of the potential dangers of working near underground services, and provides advice on how to reduce any risks. It is more concerned with risks to health and safety than with damage to services, although damage to services can have immense implications, not the least of them financial ones. However, the HSE does point out that reducing the risks to health and safety will also generally reduce the risk of damage to services.

HSG47 is aimed at all those carrying out work on or near underground services, as well as the operators or owners of those services. The guidance is divided into four sections: identifying and managing the dangers, planning the work, identifying and marking underground services, and carrying out the excavation work safely.

It goes into great detail about the dangers of electricity cables and gas pipes, both of which can cause major explosions, as well as the dangers of striking water pipes, and more.

EUSR HSG47 is another category for which a card can be obtained, and which will permit the operative to work on certain sites.  

Cable Avoidance Tools Can Have Certain Limitations

Damage to underground services – electricity, telecoms, gas pipes, water, fibre optics, and a lot more – causes a huge amount of problems every year. Just to begin with, on average there are some 600 serious injuries and 12 deaths every year in the UK as a result of operatives striking underground services when carrying out some form of excavation. 

That may not seem a considerable amount when you consider that there are an estimated 1.5 million km of underground services and that some 3.5 million to 4 million excavations are carried out every year by utility companies and local authorities in order to maintain them. Nonetheless, it is 600 serious injuries and 12 deaths every year too many. Not only that, the figures for street works only apply to utilities and local authorities who are intentionally digging to maintain the services, let alone all the other contractors who may be digging for many other reasons such as preparing the foundations for construction works.

This is why cable avoidance training is essential for any contractors undertaking groundworks. We have tools such as the CAT and Genny, yet many surveyors do not understand all of their uses, and – more importantly – do not understand that these tools have certain limitations. In other words, they may provide a reading which says there is nothing in the area to be excavated, when in fact there is.

How can that be? You might well ask. If a cable avoidance tool has shown there is nothing there, how can it be wrong?

Here is a simple example – although there can be others. The tool may be limited in how deep it can read. So you may intend to dig down 2 metres, but the tool can only read down to 1 metre. It says there is nothing there, but suppose there is a cable at 1.5 metres depth? Cable avoidance training tells you how to understand these limitations, and how to deal with them.

OUR COURSES INCLUDE THE LIMITATIONS OF CABLE AVOIDANCE TOOLS

At Sygma Solutions our mission is to teach operatives everything – and we mean EVERYTHING – that they need to know about cable avoidance when undertaking any kind of excavation work, and about the cable avoidance tools that are used. This includes their limitations, and they do have certain limitations.

If you are not aware of them, it can lead to drawing the wrong conclusions about the location of underground services.

For example, when using the CAT and Genny – especially the latest models – you will be able to locate the depth of buried services. Or will you?

Read for full blog : Cable Avoidance Tools

What is EUSR Cable Avoidance Training?

EUSR or the Energy and Utilities Skills Register is a recognised, independent body that needs surveyors to be training and experienced to the highest levels. A card, known as the EUSR card, is given to anyone who has completed the EUSR cable avoidance training. Only those who have this card is eligible to work on projects like, HS2.

There are several providers of CAT & Genny training in the UK, but the best ones are those whose training meets the lofty standards of EUSR HSG47. By undertaking a EUSR cable avoidance training programme, individuals will be taught the use of the cable avoidance equipment in their various modes. Also, individuals will be taught about the limitations of these tools. Knowing the limitations helps surveyors in staying safe as one might feel that there are no underground utilities in an area whilst in reality, there is.

As you must be aware, the UK suffers from over 60, 000 cable strikes in a year. Regardless of whether the damage has been caused to an electric cable or a sewer pipe, it is risky and can cause serious health hazards. These utility strikes can be completely prevented through training and knowing how to use cable avoidance tools to detect and find the location of the utility services so that they can be avoided.

So, find a professional training provider and gain the knowledge that you need to keep your excavation site free of risks of any kind of fatality.

Questions to Ask When Choosing Cable Avoidance Tools

If you are working with or within the underground utility sector, or breaking ground, you are likely to come across the recommendation of using cable avoidance tools. With the help of these tools, you can avoid striking an underground cable or wiring, and therefore, prevent any kind of injury or project delay. However, there are certain important questions that you need to ask when choosing cable avoidance tools.

• Will you use the CAT in isolation or with Genny?: This is a trick question because best practice demands that you always use CAT and Genny together. In isolation, CAT can only detect live power cables. With Genny, it can detect cables and wires that do not have current flowing through them.
• Over what distance do you need to trace buried utilities?: The industry-standard detection frequencies are 8khz and 33khz. However, there are more advanced models available in the market today that can emit additional frequencies and allow you to detect signals over much longer distances.
• Do you need to store data for analysis?: If you are simply using cable avoidance tools for marking up the ground, you can get a standard CAT & Genny. However, if you want to store data for future analysis, you need an advanced model.

The last question you need to ask is whether you are competent enough to use CAT & Genny. If you or anyone on your team does not have expertise in using cable avoidance tools, it is advised that you undertake a cable avoidance training course.

What is the Importance of Utility Mapping?

Utility mapping is crucial before the start of any excavation project. A utility map shows the identification and positioning of buried cables and pipes under the ground. The process involves detecting things like electric cables, sewers, water and gas mains, and telecoms cables. Combining this procedure with a topographical survey will give you the results of a comprehensive detailed map of anything that is buried underground. 

Utility maps are crucial any time an area is about to be excavated or dug. These maps show the exact location of the underground utilities and warn the workers from before of what to expect. The maps also help in preventing damaging or digging into any buried utility services that might cause harm to the workforce or the public.
In the UK, health and safety guidance recommends that you should always check for buried utilities before undertaking any kind of groundwork. This is done for:

• Meeting the obligation of the company under the regulations of CDM and the Health and Safety at Work Act, which makes sure that the safety of the general public and the workforce is kept intact.
• Avoiding and also re-routing the utilities during the planning stage so that cable strikes can be prevented and there are no unexpected delays and costs during the completion of the project

In order to conduct utility mapping, one must undertake a professional utility mapping course. This will ensure the avoidance of cable strikes and accidents in the workplace.