Training In The Use Of CAT And Genny Is Vital

Very many construction projects commence with digging. This is because we live on the surface of planet Earth and when constructing a building it needs to have sturdy foundations: you can’t just set it down on the surface and hope that it will be OK. Equally, the vast majority of buildings need to have a supply of different services, and most of these – apart from some telephone cables coming from telegraph poles – are run underground because that is simply the best place to put them. Out of sight and out of the way.

However, for that very reason, it is essential to locate and identify underground services before you begin any digging because you don’t know exactly where they are, or for that matter what they are, and even if you obtain some plans, they are not always accurate.

An On-Site Survey Is Vital

This is why it is vital to undertake a survey of the site before any work commences, because if not, and you strike an underground service – whether with hand tools or a digger – you can easily damage it, and this can lead to serious consequences.

Apart from the cost of repairing the damaged utility, which of itself can be very expensive, there can be danger to life and limb. It is estimated that there are some 60,000 strikes of underground services in the UK every year, many of which cause serious injuries and on occasion are fatal.

Before beginning any excavation, it is essential to plan the work, and this begins with obtaining STATS, or plans, from the relevant utilities in the area. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, you cannot rely on STATS, but they can give a good starting point.

The most vital thing is to carry out an on-site survey in order to locate and identify underground services in the area where you need to dig, and this is done using the CAT and Genny, which are the names for the Cable Avoidance Tool and Signal Generator.

At Sygma Solutions we run training courses for operatives who need to undertake these surveys because there are many things to learn about the use of the CAT And Genny. In particular, clever as these tools are, they do have certain limitations, and it is vital to understand what these are. If you don’t, you could be in a position where you commence digging, because it seems that there is nothing there, and then hit an underground service that the CAT and Genny were unable to locate for one reason or another.

Our CAT Course Can Be Taken Live Or Online

The incidence of striking underground services has actually been increasing over the last few years in line with the amount of construction work that is taking place in the UK. It is estimated that there are 1.5 million km of underground services of all types including electricity, gas, water, sewage, telecoms, fibre optic, and other flammable and/or toxic liquids and gases. Taken together, that is a lot of infrastructure.

Furthermore, it is also estimated that there are some 4 million excavations that take place every year, and it is known that these result in some 60,000 cable strikes every year. However, this figure could well be on the low side because there is no legal requirement to report a utility strike. What is known is that there are many injuries caused by cable strikes every year, many of which are life-changing for the workers involved, and on average a dozen or so are fatal.

 

A Thorough Search And Site Survey Is Necessary

This is why it is necessary to undertake a thorough search and site survey before actually starting to commence any digging. Plans should be sought from all the utilities in the area, but they can only be used as a guide, because many of them are out of date, incomplete, or there have been alterations, such as replacement pipelines which have not been added to the plans. There are also cases where there are no plans at all for one reason or another.

According to the HSE, working safely consists of three basic elements, which are planning the work; detecting, identifying, and marking underground services; and safe excavation and digging practices.

In addition to obtaining plans, it is essential to carry out a thorough survey of the site itself. Surprisingly, a survey that was carried out discovered that almost one third of construction workers and industry professionals did not always carry out a survey of the site before digging.

The site survey is undertaken using the CAT and Genny in combination, and at Sygma Solutions we provide operatives with our CAT course which covers every last detail of how to carry out a survey. We have classroom tuition which can now also be undertaken online if required with an interactive instructor so that attendees can ask questions and get answers.

Our CAT course also covers the limitations of the CAT and Genny. They do have certain limitations, and it is vital to understand what they are.

Sygma Solutions Are The UK Agents For The Mala Easy Locator

 

At Sygma Solutions we are the leading company providing training in the use of the CAT and Genny for the location of buried underground services. Our courses run from a basic one-day course to a five-day utility surveyor course. This latter course enables operatives to obtain a PAS128 and Level 3 qualification in utility mapping and is approved by The Survey Association. It also enables them to obtain a gold CSCS card which is required for working on HS2 and Heathrow airport. We are also approved by the CITB.

Our team has over 100 years of combined experience in the use of the CAT and Genny for the location and identification of underground services and we have a well-known track record with contractors and utility companies in reducing cable strikes. We believe that all surveys should include the use of the Genny, and our courses are designed to ensure that operatives have the skills to use the tools to best advantage.

We cover the equipment manufactured by all of the major providers including the Radiodetection CAT4 and Genny 4, RD8100,VivaxVscan and Vloc, and C Scope locators.

 

 UK Sole Agents For TheMala Easy Locator

 

We are also the only agents in the UK for the Mala GPR Easy Locator which uses ground penetrating radar to locate underground services. The Easy Locator will detect both metallic and non-metallic underground services and is the GPR tool of choice for many utility surveyors. Ground penetrating radar is the only technology that does not require a connection to the utility and also does not need electromagnetic radiation from a utility.

In addition, if you use the Mala Easy Locator in the course of your work, you will know that it needs regular calibration and maintenance, and we have a fully stocked workshop so that we can undertake this for you. We can also arrange for collection and delivery of your Easy Locator if you require it.

THE DANGER OF CABLE STRIKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

Cable strikes are amongst the most significant health and safety risks for engineers in the utility sector. An estimated 60,000 underground cable strikes occur every year, and many of these lead to severe injury or death, as well as costing businesses millions in associated damages and compensations. Sygma Solution works with Utility Engineers to avoid these situations.

What’s a Cable Strike?

Cable Strikes occur when a high voltage cable is struck during excavation due to insufficient prior site examination. This can happen with a digger or a spade and presents a real risk of electrocution that can prove to be fatal.

Read more : cable strikes 

When Carrying Out Excavation Work It Is Essential To Follow HSE Guidelines

When carrying out any sort of excavation work, which many contractors need to do, it is necessary to follow the guidelines laid down by the HSE in HSG47. These state that a safe system of work has three basic elements, which are planning the work; detecting, identifying, and marking underground services; and safe excavation/safe digging practices. The three elements complement each other, and all are critical when working near underground services.

The HSE guidelines state that anyone who is planning to carry out work that may disturb underground services must contact the owner/supplier of the services for information about their location and status. The owners and operators in turn must provide all available information about the location of the services and must also be prepared to help by perhaps sending a representative to the site who can assist with their location.

Read more: CAT and Genny course

The Problems Surrounding Excavation Works In Areas Of Underground Services

The guidelines in HSG47 from the HSE outline the potential dangers from working in or around areas which contain underground services and provides advice on how to reduce the risks. They deal primarily with the risks associated with health and safety, although the HSE does point out that actions taken in order to protect health and safety will also reduce the risk of damaging underground services.

Of course, damage to underground services not only poses health and safety risks but can involve considerable financial implications. Apart from any other consideration, striking underground services means that the contractor will have men idle on site until the utility concerned has repaired the damage. If a cable strike causes businesses in the area to shut down or stop work, there may be claims for compensation. There will also be damage to the contractor’s reputation. Indeed, it has been known for a contractor to go out of business as the result of striking an underground service.

As for injury, with some 60,000 cable strikes every year in the UK, there are many injuries as a result, a lot of them severe. Further, there are usually around a dozen fatalities. These can cause compensation claims which run into the hundreds of thousands.

This is why it is essential to undertake stringent investigation prior to putting a spade into the ground. The tools used to locate underground services are the CAT and The Genny - Cable Avoidance Tool and Signal Generator.

However, if you are a contractor engaged in any sort of excavation work, it is not sufficient to purchase a CAT and Genny and take them out of the box and read the instructions. The tools do have certain limitations and it is vital that these are understood by anyone undertaking survey work.

This is why all operatives should undertake an HSG47 course which will explain all the rationale behind the use of the CAT and Genny, together with instructions for their use in all modes, and with practical experience out on site. This is the only way for operatives to be able to proceed with underground services location with full confidence. 

Undertaking Any Type Of Excavation Work Can Be Dangerous

Undertaking any sort of excavation on public roads, as well as many other places, can be fraught with danger. The reason is that there are underground services of all sorts including electricity cables, water pipes, gas pipes, telecoms, sewage pipes, and they can be anywhere. We all have electricity in our homes, and most have telephone landline connections. We all have water pipes and we all use sewage pipes. Many properties also use gas, and then there are fibre-optics and other services as well.

Striking one of these will cause damage to the service at the very least and may mean that businesses are interrupted and/or people are left sitting in the dark at 4.00 pm on a winter’s afternoon. For example, if a telephone cable is cut, it can mean that there is no internet access, which in turn is going to affect the income of any business that depends on it for its’ operation.

Read more: cable avoidance