The Need For Surveyors To Attend CAT Training Courses

Contractors who need to undertake any form of groundwork need to be certain, or as certain as they can be, that when they start to excavate – whether by hand or the use of something such as a JCB – that they are not going to damage any underground services. These can be almost anywhere: we all have electricity, telephones, water, and sewer pipes which connect with our homes and businesses, and there may be gas, fibre optics, and other services there as well.

 It is not just the problem of serious injury to personnel which can occur, although that is the primary consideration, but also the damage to the service itself. Strike a power cable and you can put a whole industrial estate, or even a wider area, out of business. The same goes for telecoms because suddenly there is no internet connection. A factory may use a process that requires a lot of water and it comes to a grinding halt. All of those businesses are going to be very angry indeed and may claim compensation from the contractor responsible. That alone could run into thousands.  

This is why it is vital to undertake a survey of the area using the CAT and Genny. That’s the Cable Avoidance Tool and Signal Generator. In general, these need to be used in tandem because the CAT on its’ own can only locate metal pipes and cables.

Both of these tools are extremely useful, but they do have certain limitations, which is why it is necessary for all surveyors to undertake a CAT course which will show them not only how to use the CAT and Genny but will also explain their limitations and what to do about them. CAT training will provide surveyors with the necessary skills to locate and identify the different types of underground services.

Striking Underground Services Can Cause Considerable Injury

Whenever you are undertaking any form of excavation it is essential to take every possible precaution to avoid hitting any underground services. This can be a major danger to health, as striking an electricity cable or a gas pipe can easily cause serious injury to workers or passers-by and occasionally results in fatalities.

It is not just electricity and gas pipes which can cause injury. If you hit a water main where the water is under pressure it can hurl stones out of the ground at speed which can also cause injury. It can result in flooding as well. As for striking a sewer pipe, that is not something that anyone would want to think about.

This is why there is so much work to do before undertaking any form of excavation. The work needs to be planned and STATS, or plans, obtained from the utility suppliers. However, these are not always accurate, nor necessarily complete, so it is essential to undertake a survey of the area using some of the tools designed especially for the purpose.

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THE MANY RAMIFICATIONS OF STRIKING UNDERGROUND SERVICES WHEN EXCAVATING

Sygma Solutions is now a EUSR approved training provider and also is CITB approved. Our courses are also approved by The Survey Association. This means that we can now provide EUSR HSG47 training for all operatives engaged in the location and identification of underground services in order to avoid striking them when carrying out excavation works.

HSG47 has been produced by the HSE and is now in the third edition which was published in 2014. The guidance outlines the dangers of working near underground services and provides advice as to the best ways to avoid danger to peoples’ health and safety as well as the risks that can be caused by damage to services.

According to the HSE, there are three critical elements of a safe system of working and these are planning the work, locating and identifying any underground services, and carrying out any excavation safely.

There are, of course, different types of services running underground and they can be anywhere. Obviously, if you are going to excavate in the High Street there will be electricity, there may or may not be gas, there will be water, there will be sewage, there will be telecoms, and so on.

Two of the most dangerous services are obviously electricity and gas. Striking either of them can cause serious damage, fire, and explosion. This can easily result in severe injury to workers or passers-by and sometimes is fatal. There is an average of 12 deaths every year as a result of striking underground services.

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Cable Avoidance Training - Things You Need to Know

Detecting the location of underground utility services like, gas and electricity, during an excavation project is not only crucial to the safety and health of the operatives working on the site, but also essential to prevent costly disruptions during civil engineering and construction projects. As a result, it is vital that those working on the roads are fully trained in using cable avoidance tools.

The cable avoidance training courses are specifically designed for those who carry out excavations and need to have an in-depth understanding of where buried utility services are located. The course helps candidates learn the following:

l  The latest health and safety legislation

l  Knowledge of safe systems of work, as well as, digging practices

l  A deep understanding of hazard avoidance and site plans

l  Pre-use tests, operational techniques and maintenance for equipment

Cable avoidance training provided by professional companies is usually a combination of theoretical knowledge with its practical applications. Candidates are taught the correct use of the cable avoidance tools like, CAT & Genny. Along with its use, training courses also teach candidates the limitations of the use of the equipment.

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Underground Services Can Run Anywhere

Any contractor who needs to undertake any sort of groundwork or excavation is at risk of striking underground services. These can be electricity cables, telephone cables, water pipes, gas pipes, sewers, fibre optics, and more, and they can be found quite literally anywhere. Some places are obvious, others not so. For example, if you are out in the country and there is a small piece of woodland next to a lane you might think that there would be no services running through it. However, it might just be the shortest route to the next village or a farmhouse.

All contractors who are going to carry out an excavation need to first undertake a survey of the area in order to establish (a) if there is anything there, (b) if there is, where exactly it is – including its’ depth, and (c) what sort of service it is.

There are a number of tools which can help to identify and locate underground services, notably the CAT and the Genny, but operatives who are going to use them need to be fully aware of how they work in all their modes and, critically, their limitations – and they do indeed have certain limitations.

All such operatives should undertake cable avoidance training which should cover all of the above. People do talk about cable avoidance, but it is not just related to electricity cables but is used as a generic term to cover all underground services. You no more want to strike a gas pipe than an electricity cable, nor yet a sewer or a water pipe. You might think that striking a water pipe would not cause much harm, but water under pressure can throw stones out of the soil and if one strikes you it can do a lot of damage. There can also be serious flooding.

A cable avoidance course is essential for anyone tasked with undertaking such surveys.

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Anyone Engaged In Underground Surveying Must Take An HSG47 Course

HSG47 is a guide produced by the Health & Safety Executive which gives guidance on how to avoid danger from underground services.

Underground services can be anywhere. If you are carrying out work in a high street, it will be obvious that there are electricity cables, telephone cables, water pipes, and so on. There could also be gas pipes, fibre optics, and more. However, if you are going to carry out work down a small country lane it may be tempting to think that there is nothing there. You could very well be wrong, because there might be a large country house out of sight a quarter of a mile down that lane and it will have electricity, water, and telecoms and a sewer pipe at the very least.

This is why it is essential to carry out a survey using the correct tools before ever putting a spade into the ground. The figures are actually shocking: it is estimated that there are some 4 million groundworks carried out every year in the UK and these result in around 60,000 cable strikes, many of which cause severe injury, and of which a dozen or so are fatal.  

This is why it is vital that anyone who needs to undertake surveys in order to locate underground services should first go on an HSG47 course that should cover every aspect of using the two main tools – the CAT and Genny – together with their limitations. That’s correct. As good as the CAT and Genny are, they do have certain limitations and it is essential to be aware of them.

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Why Do You Need VScan Training?

Locating and avoiding underground utility services is an important responsibility of construction companies before digging. Cable damages lead to disrupting utility services, causing injuries to the workers that might be fatal and other such hazards. One way that you can avoid hitting a cable is by using VScan.

VScan is an advanced tool that helps in locating utility services buried in the ground. This equipment is capable of detecting most kinds of buried utility assets. It can find cables used in telecom and electrical services, metal pipes used in water and gas service networks, and so on.

By knowing how to use this utility locator, surveyors and managers will be able to easily detect and mark the underground services. This will make sure that digging takes place without any worry of cable damage and workers can have a safe environment.

However, as Vscan is a highly advanced tool with a lot of features, it is crucial to undertake VScan training from a reputed company. The training will teach the operatives the right way to use the tool. Also, the operative will understand all the features of this utility locator. By using the tool correctly, the operative will make sure that everyone in and around the excavation site is safe.

So, find a training provider that offers a combination of theoretical and practical learning. This will make you an expert and you can use this tool to ensure safe digging for all your projects.