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.