When working on any construction project, one of the most important things to do at the beginning is to carry out a survey of the site in order to ascertain what, if any, services run under the surface. Even if it is a new site that has never been built upon, it is still possible that there may be services running through it if there are other buildings nearby.
This means that it is necessary for an operative to use all means possible to carry out a survey, which, in turn, means having the required knowledge of how to use all the various items of equipment that can be used to do that. These are mainly the CAT, Genny, and GPR tools that can provide the information needed in most cases.
Today, there are many versions of such tools, and they have become more and more sophisticated over the years. Along with that, it means that you need to undertake a course run by experts in how these tools work, what their limitations are (and they do have some), and how to ensure that you use best practice before any excavation begins so that the work proceeds with maximum safety and security.
The Latest Model From Radiodetection
Radiodetection® is one of the well-established manufacturers of such tools and has just produced a model with additional features compared with the previous RD8000. Their latest model locator is the RD8100 which has automatic usage logging with GPS positioning.
This incorporates such things as a shallow locate warning which provides both visual and audible warnings when in the presence of cables and pipes that are only just under the surface. It also includes several other advanced systems enabling it to save up to 1,000 survey measurements including the depth of the utility, and these can be sent to a mobile using Bluetooth. Not only that, but you can now calibrate it from a PC.
As with many of these underground utility location tools, they are not just something that you can take out of the box and start in half an hour. Ideally, you should take a Radiodetection training course where you can learn about all of the different features and the right way to use them. As we have said elsewhere, you don’t buy a car, read the manual, and start off down the road if you have never driven before! A Radiodetection® course will, quite literally, set you off on the right foot.
