Vivax VLoc Training From Sygma Solutions

July 4^th to July 11^th was National Safe Digging Week which was an initiative to raise awareness in the construction industry of the vital importance of locating and identifying underground services before commencing any form of excavation. There are still companies that “dig blind” without making any effort to check what is underground on the site, if anything. Certainly, it is possible that there is nothing there, but in most instances, it is more likely that there is. With 2.5 million kilometres of underground services in the UK, services can run anywhere. 

The consequences of digging blind can be devastating. The most obvious are severe injuries to workers and to some extent passers-by, and there are sometimes fatalities.

Then there is the cost of repairs which of themselves can be considerable. However, that is by no means the end of it because the collateral damage can be considerable. The University of Birmingham undertook a study which showed that the true cost of a utility strike is some 28 times the cost of the repairs.

For instance, if broadband goes down so does WFH – Working From Home. Most businesses cannot operate without electricity either.

Water Pipes

Hitting a waterpipe might not be considered a serious issue, but water under pressure can hurl stones and other debris. Back in 2019 a farmer in Derbyshire was putting in some fence posts when he hit a water pipe which caused flooding in nearby villages resulting in serious damage to homes and businesses. The consequences of striking underground services should never be underestimated.

This is why it is essential first to obtain any available plans from local utilities in order to get an idea of what may be where, and then to carry out an on-site survey to locate, identify, and mark buried services before ever beginning to start digging.

One very useful tool is the Vivax VLoc Pro pipe and cable locator, and at Sygma Solutions we run Vivax training courses in the use of this. Our VLoc training begins in the classroom where operatives have an overview of the need for underground surveys and are introduced to HSG47 guidelines from the HSE.

The VLoc training shows how to interpret STATS - buried service plans – and operatives are then introduced to electromagnetic theory and the way that it is used for utility location.

Vivax training then continues on site where operatives will learn how to use the VLoc in its’ various modes in order to locate different types of service and how to configure it to locate thin cables that are difficult to find.  

Online CAT And Genny Training For Operatives Who Need To Locate Underground Services

Today we live in the 21^st century and we have more and more clever gadgets than we could have even thought about 30 years ago. One of those is WiFi. You have your phone or your laptop in your home, or when out and about, and you can instantly connect to the internet which means that, in turn, you can chat to somebody in Australia if you wish. No cables. No nothing.

Except that that is unfortunately not quite true. Somewhere along the line there has to be a router in the vicinity, and that has to be plugged into an electric socket in order to receive signals. That means that there has to be power and telecoms cables under the ground so that the router can receive them.

That is not a problem, either, unless somebody out in the street, up the road, or next door, starts digging and accidentally cuts one of the cables. Then you have no connection.

What that means is that if you are in any business where you need to dig into the soil you first need to check if there are any utilities running underground on the site.

All sorts of different businesses need to carry out excavation works of some form or other, including construction companies, and the utilities themselves who often need to repair or replace underground cables and piping. So, the first thing to do, before you begin to dig, is to check for underground services using the CAT and Genny.

You Need Cable Location Training

Certainly, you can go and buy one of each and read the instructions, but that would be as silly as buying a car and getting behind the steering wheel without having had driving lessons. You need cable location training in order to be sure that you are doing everything correctly.

Cable location training is what we provide at Sygma Solutions. And now we are also providing online CAT and Genny training.

When the pandemic hit, we still had workers who needed to dig into the ground for many different reasons, and so we devised our online CAT and Genny training which is the same as our physical classroom training but is done online, using an interactive software that lets attendees ask questions and get answers from the instructor.

Certainly, you need to carry out the practical part of the training on site, either at our place or yours, but the classroom training can be done online which saves time and money because you can do it from the comfort of your home or office.