Our Training Will Enable A Qualification In Cable Avoidance

Sygma Solutions is a leading provider of training in the location of underground services and utilities. With years of experience in the industry, we offer a range of courses designed to help individuals and organisations locate, identify and avoid underground utilities to prevent accidents and damage.

HSG47 Training From Sygma Solutions

The Health and Safety Executive was formed on January 1^st 1975, with the objective of enforcing health and safety legislation in workplaces, with the exception of those which were regulated by local authorities. Over the course of the following years the HSE has provided many guidelines to carrying out work in a safe manner, one of which is HSG47 which is aimed specifically at those engaged in any sort of work which involves breaking the ground.

The Foremost UK Provider Of Training For The Location Of Underground Services

Sygma Solutions is the foremost UK provider of training in the use of the CAT and Genny and GPR for the location of underground services. Our CAT training courses leave nothing to chance and cover the use of the CAT and Genny in all modes. Most importantly, we go into detail about the limitations of the CAT and Genny, as it is critical to understand them in order to avoid making errors. There can be reasons why they might return an apparent negative result when in fact there is a service on the site, so it is essential to take that into account.

Underground Site Surveys Are Essential Before Commencing Excavation

Depending upon whose figures you believe, the UK has at least 1.5 million kilometres of underground services – gas, electricity, water, telecoms, sewage, and several others – although other figures put it at as much as 2.5 million kilometres.

Either way, that is a lot of underground services, and they can be just about anywhere, including places where you might not expect them to be. If you are in a town centre, then you know full well that they will be all over the place, but you might not think that you would find them in a field or a dead-end lane out in the country. However, they can still be there. As the advice in HSG47, the guide to underground services from the HSE, says “assume they are present unless you have been shown otherwise”.

Our Courses Enable You To Obtain Your Qualification In Cable Avoidance

At Sygma Solutions we provide the training that you need if you have to undertake underground surveys for hidden services so that you can locate and identify them before a company begins any sort of excavation work.

Just about every building contract starts with digging into the ground in order to construct foundations and install services – water, electricity, telecoms, sewage, gas, and so on – and it is vital to avoid striking any existing services. They can be anywhere. So, it is essential to know, as far as is humanly possible, what they are and where they are.

Why Sygma Solutions CAT And Genny Training Is Critical Knowledge

Just about every service we need – electricity, gas, telecoms, water, sewage pipes, and so on – runs underground. Back in the day – 60 or so years ago – telephone lines ran on telegraphs poles, but today even those are mostly underground. Out of sight, out of mind.

That’s all very well, but many of them are out of mind when it comes to digging into the soil for whatever reason. Constructing a new building, repairing an existing service, or whatever else you need to do, even if it is only digging some holes to put fence poles in, there is always the chance of striking some underground service if you are not careful. And let’s face it: there are a lot of underground services. 2.5 million kilometres of them at the latest count.

Why A Site Survey Is Essential Before Carrying Out Any Excavation Work

WFH – Working From Home – has become the norm for many people today. This seems to be especially true if you happen to be a civil servant, but many businesses have people who now only come into the office on one or two days a week, working on the kitchen table, or wherever, for the rest of the time.

However, if there is no broadband and you are working from home, you are then unable to work. Period. And your broadband can disappear in a flash if some workers carrying out an excavation of any sort should cut the cables. This is just one of the issues resulting from striking underground services of any sort.

What You Need To Know In Order To Become A Level 5 Utility Surveyor

At Sygma Solutions we are sometimes asked why we provide so much training in the area of location and identification of underground services.

The answer is that, while you need a CAT and Genny, you can’t just go to a supplier and buy one of each, take them out of the box, and read the instructions. You have to learn how to use them in all their different modes, and you also have to learn that they have certain limitations. If you don’t understand what those limitations are, and you don’t know what to do in a given set of circumstances, you could land yourself in hot water.

What Is The Right Cable Avoidance Tool (CAT) For Your Needs?

If you are in the market for a Cable Avoidance Tool, you need to be aware of certain differences in the various models – and there are quite a lot of them. The CAT should always be used in conjunction with a Genny – signal generator – and not in isolation.

Why? Because a CAT on its’ own in power mode can only detect live electricity cables – i.e. with power flowing through them. So, if you are working in the high street in the dark when the streetlights are on you shouldn’t have too much trouble locating the cables that are feeding them. If you are working in the same street in daylight, when the lights are off, you probably won’t find them at all.

Underground Services Can Be Anywhere – Even In Places You Might Not Expect

If you wish to work as a site surveyor for the location and identification of underground utilities on an HS2 site, you will need the Proqual QCF Level 2 Utility Avoidance and Location Qualification, as it is an HS2 requirement. The good news is that, at Sygma Solutions, we provide a 2-day training and assessment course that will enable you to obtain the Proqual QCF Level 2 Utility Avoidance and Location Qualificationso that you will be able to work on any HS2 site.