Undertaking a Proper Survey before Commencing Any Excavation

If you are a contractor involved in any sort of excavation work, you will know that, before you begin, you need to undertake a survey of the area in which you plan to dig. This can be done by yourself or any surveyor that you employ, either as an employee or a sub-contractor, but whoever undertakes the survey should have been on a recognised course for EUSR CAT and Genny training and be fully conversant with EUSR HSG47. There are several companies in the UK which provide EUSR cable avoidance training.

HSG47 is produced by the HSE and you can download a free PDF from the HSE website.  The guidance is aimed at all those involved in commissioning, planning, managing, and carrying out work on or near underground services. It will also be of use to the owners and operators of such services.

HHSG47 gives advice on the dangers of working near underground services, and also advises on ways to protect people's health and safety while so doing and minimising the chance of injury. It also advises on the collateral damage that can occur to utilities that are hit, and the damages that contractors who strike them may suffer as a result. These can run into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.

This is why those who are going to carry out a survey must be properly trained in every aspect of underground surveying and fully understand the use of the CAT and Genny in all of their different modes.

Reasons Why You Need A CAT and Genny Course before Undertaking Buried Utility Surveys

If you need to locate underground utilities, there is a wide choice of tools available. The cable avoidance tool, known as the CAT, should be used in conjunction with a signal generator (Genny), because a CAT on its' own in Power mode can only detect power cables which are live with power running through them. In most cases, it cannot even detect the same cables when there is no power running through them.

This is just one reason why you need to take a CAT and Genny course in order to fully understand how the two work together. Several companies run a CAT course and will be able to train you in the best practices. There are different tools which can perform a variety of functions, bearing in mind that there are all sorts of buried services such as water, gas, electricity, sewers, fibre optic, and so on. There are some 60,000 cable strikes every year in the UK, which is a lot, and some of them cause serious injury and even fatalities.

Furthermore, a CAT and Genny may detect a cable but not show whether it is a single utility or several buried side by side, or one on top of another.

This is why there is no alternative to attending a recognised course to understand exactly how these tools work, and also what their limitations are. It is like learning to drive a car: you need to understand the Highway Code and you also need practical experience. A CAT and Genny course should cover everything you need to know.  

CAT And Genny Training Is Essential For Groundwork Operatives

CAT and Genny training is essential for all those involved in planning, managing, and undertaking any form of work involving excavation or penetration of the ground.

The CAT and Genny are tools used for the location of underground services and those can be found anywhere, even in the middle of a field. Used on its own, the CAT can locate underground electricity cables when there is power running through them, but not when the cable is dead. This is important because, taking street lighting as an example, the CAT can locate them when the lamps are on, but may not be able to locate them during daylight hours.

The Genny is an abbreviation for signal generator and is used to produce a signal which runs along, say, a water pipe or plastic gas pipe, and the CAT can then pick up the signal and locate the path of the service that way. However, even the CAT and Genny have certain limitations and it is essential for operatives to understand what those limitations are so that they do not get misled into believing there is no underground service in a certain position where there still could be.

Striking an underground cable or pipe can have tremendous implications, both financially and from the point of view of health and safety. It is estimated that there are 60,000 cable strikes in the UK every year, many causing severe injury, and around a dozen fatalities. This is why it is essential for operatives to undertake a CAT and Genny course so that they can learn everything needed to make informed decisions. There are also training companies who provide an EUSR CAT and Genny course, EUSR standing for the Energy and Utility Skills Register. The EUSR is also affiliated with the CSCS, and holders of an EUSR card that is affiliated to the CSCS can work on CSCS sites.

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.