60,000 Cable Strikes A Year! That’s A BIG Number!

The construction industry is one of the most dangerous in which to work when it comes to injuries suffered and fatalities. Figures produced by the HSE show that there were an average 36 fatalities in construction from 2016 – 2021 (Source: RIDDOR, 2020/21). Of these, 50% are a result of falls from a height. However, around a dozen each year are the result of injuries suffered when striking underground services such as electricity cables, gas pipes, and so on.

When it comes to any sort of excavation work, it is estimated that there are some 4 million excavations carried out every year for the purpose of laying pipes or cables for new services and repairing existing ones, and this results in approximately 60,000 cable strikes each year. That may seem like a relatively small percentage, but nonetheless, 60,000 is a big number! You can very easily argue that it is 60,000 too many!

Why does this happen so often? Surely you can get plans from local utility companies in the site area and then you will know where cables and pipes run?

Well, yes and no. For any number of reasons, plans, or STATS as they are known, can often be inaccurate - not least because there is no unified way of keeping records - and sometimes they do not exist. You can use them as a guide, but you must treat them with caution.

The Answer Is A Thorough Underground Survey

 

The only answer is to undertake a thorough underground survey of the site before commencing any work, using the CAT and Genny, and also GPR.

But here’s the thing: figures from Safety & Health Practitioner in 2019 showed that of the 4 million excavations in 2017, only 2.25 million “involved a thorough search for pipes and cables before the work commenced”. That’s 44% of excavations that were carried out without a proper survey! Now you can begin to see why that figure of 60,000 cable strikes occurs.

At Sygma Solutions we provide HSG47 training (HSG47 is the guide produced by the HSE for safety when digging) which includes the use of the tools involved such as the C.Scope. Our C.Scope training teaches operatives the use of this tool in all modes, and importantly the limitations that it has. This is a vital constituent of our C.Scope training because all these tools - not just the C.Scope – can sometimes seem to indicate that nothing is on the site when it is!

So, our HSG47 training tells operatives what to look out for and how to handle it. For example, one situation is where the service is at a depth below which the tools can read! It is still there. So, we teach operatives to commence digging carefully down to about a foot, and then take another reading. This time around, it may well show the service.

A Qualification In Cable Avoidance Is Essential On Many Construction Sites

Possibly one of the most dangerous jobs in the construction industry occurs right at the beginning of a new building, because it involves digging into the ground in order to build the foundations.

The problem is that, when you dig down into the earth’s surface, even if only a few feet, there is always the chance of a cable strike. Virtually all of our utilities, apart from some areas where the phone lines are still on telegraph poles (remember those?) run underground. Out of sight, which is fine, but also out of mind in a lot of instances, which is not fine.

Whether you are using a hand shovel or a mechanical digger, it is possible to hit all sorts of different underground services such as gas, water, electricity, sewage pipes, telecoms, and more, unless the company carrying out the contract has carried out a full survey and obtained plans from the local utilities. On their own, plans cannot be relied upon for a number of different reasons, but they can be used as a guide.

A Thorough Survey Is Essential

This means that, before carrying out any sort of excavation work it is essential to undertake a thorough survey of the site using the CAT and Genny in order to avoid a cable strike and the resultant serious injuries that can occur. Once underground services have been located and identified it is then possible to mark them out on the ground surface so that workers will not unwittingly hit them when digging.

In order to locate and identify such services, operatives need to be fully conversant with every type of service and fully up to speed with the tools used to locate them, these being in large part the CAT and Genny, although GPR, Ground Penetrating Radar, is also used.

The latest technology is actually very clever, but it is not infallible. For instance, GPR can be difficult to use over rough ground. Some equipment may not be able to read as deeply as a service is laid. And more.

At Sygma Solutions we run training courses that teach operatives everything that they need to know. We should do, because between us we have over 100 years of experience. We can train operatives so that they can achieve a qualification for cable avoidance.

In more and more areas today, such as HS2, Network Rail, and many others, it is essential to have a qualification in cable avoidance before you are even allowed to work for them, so the training that we provide enables operatives to work on such sites. 

CAT Training Courses From Sygma Solutions

When commencing any sort of construction project, the first thing that is usually required, certainly if a new building is being constructed, is to lay the foundations. That involves digging into the surface of the earth, even if only for a few feet.

However, this automatically raises a problem because virtually all of the services that we use in our homes and business premises run underground. So, they can be right there underneath the spot in which you need to dig. Quite obviously, if you dig down and strike underground services – even with a hand shovel, you can damage them. That can lead to consequences which at best may cause inconvenience, and at worst can be, and sometimes are, fatal.

So, it follows that before you commence any sort of digging, you need to take all possible actions to locate any services that may be there so that you can avoid causing damage to them and having workers suffer from injuries which are often severe. Striking and breaking an electricity cable or gas pipe is serious.

Plans

The first thing to do is to obtain any plans that may be available from the local utility suppliers, but these cannot be taken as gospel. There are a lot of reasons why there may be errors, and in some cases the plans may not even be in existence. Having done this, the next step is to carry out a survey on the actual site, and this is done using a couple of tools called the CAT and Genny, meaning Cable Avoidance Tool and Signal Generator.

However, like many things in this day and age, you can’t just take them out of the box and read the instructions. You will need to take a short course in exactly how they work, what they do, and how to use them under a range of different circumstances.

This is why we provide CAT training courses at Sygma Solutions. (We are not talking here about four-legged furry things. Anyone who has ever owned one of those knows that you can’t train a cat. In fact, you don’t even own it: it owns you!).

Our CAT course will cover everything that you need to know including a classroom session so that you understand all the basics. Our CAT training is then followed up with practical work on site so that you can put what you have learned into action.

You can also take an advanced CAT course so that you can obtain qualifications which will enable you to work on sites such as HS2 and London Airport.

Why And How We Started Our Online CAT And Genny Training Courses

When the pandemic hit back at the beginning of 2020, it was still necessary for underground surveyors to have the training that they needed in order to locate and identify underground services. After all, while some construction projects were put on hold, other work always needs to continue, such as locating and repairing faults in water pipes, telecoms, electricity, gas, and so on. In fact, quick repairs of faults to telecoms became even more essential with everyone working from home. No broadband = no work.

Now, of course, the actual location and identification of underground services is physical work and has to be carried out on site. But at least this is in the open air rather than in a building, so the chances of the infection being transferred is minimal. Nonetheless, that part of the training courses that we run had to be done on location.

Online Training

However, before carrying out any practical work, it is necessary to understand what the CAT and Genny are, how they work, and how to use them, and traditionally we had always carried out this training in the classroom. However, with the pandemic in full flow, we quickly turned to online CAT and Genny training using software such as Zoom. Fortunately, the software is interactive, and therefore means that on our live online cable avoidance training course attendees can still ask questions of our instructor and get the answers that they need.

Once the online part of the course had been completed, we then had to meet up on site, of course, so that attendees could use the CAT and Genny in practical circumstances and practice what they had learned in the online CAT and Genny training class. However, we restricted the number of attendees on site to a maximum of four. It all worked extremely well, and our operatives were able to get the training that they required in order to carry out the location and identification of underground services.

In fact, our onlinecable avoidance training course was so successful that we are still providing it today, although, of course, we have also gone back to physical classroom training if you prefer. This means that you can learn all of the basics that you need to know online without having to travel, and also saves on overnight hotel costs and so on.

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.  

 

 

The Level 5 Utility Surveyor Qualification: What You Need To Know

 If you are a surveyor or a contractor who wishes to work on any of the HS2 sites – and there are a lot of those – or on sites such as Heathrow Airport, and several other sites in the UK, then you will need to have a Level 5 Utility Surveyor qualification. This also allows a holder to undertake PAS128 Quality Level B surveys.

 

Conducting a full site survey on any piece of land requires that due diligence is carried out before any work begins. This is because it is essential to avoid striking any underground services. The fact is that underground services can be absolutely anywhere and hitting them and damaging them can have several unwanted results.

 

Not the least of these is that the service will be interrupted causing delays and inconvenience to businesses and residents in the area until the service is restored by the appropriate utility. It can also involve the contractor concerned in delays and costs claimed for repairs.

 

Worse still, striking underground services can result in life-changing injuries for workers involved, and in some instances these are fatal.

 

So, it is essential for operatives undertaking such surveys to have the complete set of skills required, and the Level 5 Utility Surveyor qualification demonstrates that the holder does, indeed, possess such skills.

 

At Sygma Solutions we can provide you or members of your team with a Level 5 Utility Mapping course. The Level 5 Utility Mapping qualification requires participants to have already achieved the Level 3 Utility Surveyor qualification.

 

Either In Wigan Or On Your Own Site

If you wish to take part in the Level 5 course, this can be carried out either at our training centre in Wigan, or at your own site if you prefer. Additionally, it can be taken at The Survey School which is in Worcester. This is a very intensive training, and it follows the full life cycle of a Utilities Mapping and Detection Survey.  

 

In addition to the Level 3 qualification, achievement of the Level 5 QCF Diploma requires completion of a further six units. At Sygma Solutions, we can tailor the training and assessment to the specific needs of an individual, dependent upon his or her current experience. However, successful completion of the course will enable the holder to work in any capacity for surveys on any site.

 

For further information on requirements and availability of our Level 5 Course, contact Pete direct on 0844 241 2597 or email enquiries@sygma-solutions.com.