HSG47 Guidance From The HSE

HSG47 is guidance provided by the HSE for those undertaking any form of excavation work and is aimed at all of those involved in commissioning, planning, managing, and carrying out work on or near underground services, as well as the owners and operators of such services. The guidance applies to all situations where underground services may be disturbed and includes street works; road works; excavation, drilling and piling; demolition and site remediation; site investigation surveys; and any other work that involves penetrating the ground at or below surface level.

The guidance is in four chapters as follows: Identifying and managing the dangers; Planning the work; Detecting, identifying and marking underground services; Safe excavation.

The HSE notes that electricity cables are one of the most dangerous utilities when struck. Injuries are usually caused by arcing current and any associated flames or fire that may occur and are usually severe causing burns to the hands, face and body. Electric shock is also possible, but less likely. Damage can be worse if other utilities are nearby, such as gas pipes which can explode as a result of the electricity strike. Gas explosions can cause a huge amount of damage.

Damage to mains water pipes can cause flooding which may produce a risk of drowning, especially as the sides of an excavation may collapse upon workers. Flammable and toxic gases can enter cable-carrying ducts, particularly if the duct has been damaged. Such gases can accumulate in chambers, manholes, etc., and pose a risk to operatives who may need to work there.  

There are companies that provide an HSG47 training course in order to make operatives not only aware of the dangers but give them the skills needed to locate underground services using the CAT and Genny. All operatives who are to work on excavations should undertake an HSG47 course.

Cable Avoidance Training Is Critical For Contractors Undertaking Groundwork

Any contractor undertaking excavations of any description must be aware of the possibility, or indeed the likelihood, of underground cables and utilities that are at the precise point, or very close to, where the excavation has to take place. In fact, the problem should be approached from the point of view that there are very likely to be underground utilities and cables, rather than the fact that it is unlikely.

We have said this before, but just because you need to dig in a field which is currently full of sheep doesn't mean that there may not be underground utilities there. The field could just be the shortest way between remote villages, and that is why the utility company laid the electricity cables using it as a shortcut.

You would think that, knowing that, cable strikes would be rare, but the fact is that there are around 230 of them every working day, or about 60,000 a year up and down the country. Some of these result in serious injury, and there are even about a dozen fatalities every year as a result of hitting underground utilities. Some, such as water pipes, are relatively harmless, but striking an electric cable or gas pipe can have horrific consequences.

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HSG47, And Why You Should Follow This Guidance

The Health and Safety Executive HSG47 is aimed at all those involved in the commissioning, planning, managing, and carrying out work on, or near, underground services, as well as the owners and operators of the services. Following the guidance is not compulsory, unless otherwise stated, but if you do follow the guidance, under normal circumstances you will be doing enough to comply with the law. To quote the HSE "Health and safety inspectors seek to secure compliance with the law and may refer to this guidance".

It seems that the HSE is saying that, putting it politely, you would be doing yourself – and everyone else – a disservice by failing to follow the guidance provided. It further states "Underground services are widespread. Assume they are present unless you have been shown otherwise". That is an extremely sensible comment, since underground services can be found absolutely anywhere – even in an apparently open field. 

One of the major causes of injuries – many severe – is striking electric cables, Typical injuries are burns to the hands, face, and body, while electric shock is also possible, but less likely. Other nearby services may also be damaged, and these include plastic gas pipes. Damage to these can cause explosion and fire. There are two kinds of damage – damage that causes an immediate leak, and damage that causes a leak some time later. For instance, poor reinstatement may leave a pipe insufficiently supported.

Damage to a pipe carrying liquefied petroleum gas is greater than from natural gas as it is heavier than air and can travel for long distances underground and can accumulate in places such as cellars.

Damage to water pipes may not be so serious but can also cause injury, as a jet of water from a main can be hard enough to cause injury.

This is why understanding of all of the possible problems is so essential. There are companies that provide HSG47 training and ensure that operatives have a full and complete understanding of the potential problems. In fact, it cannot be over-emphasised that all operatives engaged in any sort of excavation should attend an HSG47 course.

Features Of The Latest CAT 4 From Radiodetection

CAT and Genny training is essential for all operatives whose job includes locating any type of underground services. The CAT 4 is the latest in the Radiodetection series of cable avoidance tools and has some features which other cable avoidance tools do not. For example, it now features Dynamic Overload Protection which enables an operative to continue working in areas which are electrically challenging, such as underneath power cables or near to substations, where the detection circuitry of other equipment may become overloaded and simply cease to function.

The new CAT 4 also has a high visibility display with a backlight which enables the operator to read the information under any lighting conditions and avoids the possibility of misreading critical information from the unit. In Avoidance Mode, the CAT 4 provides faster detection by allowing the operator to check an area intended for excavation for power, radio, and Genny signals, and pinpoint any utilities in a single scan. Its' unique digital signal processing capabilities also reject electrical interference.

 

The CAT 4 also allows operatives to check over the internet a fast and thorough test of the key circuitry elements using the CAT manager software. This enables an operative to check the unit against the original factory calibration. The CAT manager software is a Windows® PC program that allows plant, fleet and site managers to minimise down time by performing software upgrades, sending a service request, reproducing calibration certificates, and compiling/editing user information with eCAT and gCAT configurations.

Several companies provide a CAT course which will enable operatives to become fully acquainted with the CAT 4 and its uses in all its modes. Some of the companies can also provide EUSR CAT and Genny training if they are an EUSR approved training provider, which not all training course providers are.

Finding Proper Training In The Use Of the CAT 4 And Genny

Any contractor undertaking any type of ground work has to be as certain as possible that the work will not strike or damage any underground services which may be in the location. This means that before a spade is inserted into the ground the contractor must take every precaution to locate and avoid any services.

There are two main tools which are used to locate buried services, and these are the Cable Avoidance Tool (CAT) and the Signal Generator (Genny). The latest versions of these tools are the CAT 4 and Genny 4. The two tools are generally used in conjunction with each other, since the CAT on its' own in Power mode can only locate electricity cables which are live with power flowing through them. If you are certain that you will only be looking for live power cables, it could be argued that you could just use the CAT. However, you can't be certain of this, so it is wise to use both CAT and Genny together.

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City & Guilds Level 2 Cable Avoidance Training

Level 2 cable avoidance training is training undertaken to obtain the City & Guilds Level 2 Award in Safe Location and Avoidance of Underground Services (6038-01). This award is for people working in construction or associated industries who need to locate and avoid underground services. 

This qualification covers the purpose of safe location and avoidance of underground services. It takes account of the need to use different types of service drawings and develops skills required to identify, detect and mark out services and plan for these activities. Finally, the qualification covers the theory of methods of safe excavation. The total qualification time is 14 hours and includes 12 hours of guided learning time and two hours spent separately in preparation, study, and assessment.

Operatives learning cable avoidance must pass a test to demonstrate that they understand the purpose of the safe location and avoidance of underground services. They must understand service plans required when preparing to work on or near underground services. They must be able to plan for safe location and avoidance of underground services and be able to identify, detect, and mark them out. They also have to understand the methods of safe excavation of underground services.

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Sygma Solutions Is The Leading Cable Avoidance Training Company In The UK

Sygma Solutions is the leading provider of cable avoidance training in the UK. Our courses are based on first hand experience in the field. We have cable locator manufacturing experience which means that we understand the equipment inside out: we know how it works, why it works, and what it can – and equally importantly cannot – do.

We have utility mapping experience, working in real on-site conditions, and using the right piece of equipment and application in every situation. We also understand repair and calibration of every type of equipment through our partner company Swan Test & Calibration with 27 years of continuous experience, and approved to repair Radiodetection, C Scope & Kolectric equipment. In short, there is nothing whatsoever that anyone could teach us about underground utility surveying because – without wishing to brag – we know everything there is to know.

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