The HSG47 guidelines defines the dangers associated with working near buried underground utility assets. It also provides guidelines on planning to avoid them.
This requires a thorough survey of underground utilities and mapping the resources buried underground before beginning any construction, maintenance and other work near underground services.
However, underground utilities surveying is a difficult task because data has to be collected from varied sources – utility owners, data collected from previous surveys, and so on. This data might be stored in different media like paper records, vector maps and databases etc. and the formats used might be varied.
The Publicly Available Specification or PAS is the standard drawn up by BSI in collaboration with the Institute of Civil Engineers for recording accurate information on underground utilities in a consistent manner.
A new version of this standard, the PAS 128, has been released in 2017. This provides improved guidelines on survey and capture of information and recording this in a way that ensures a standard methodology in data storage, and accuracy and consistency.
Utility surveys that conform to PAS norms are conducted in various stages, ranging from a direct eye survey, to plotting underground resources based on database information, to using high-end technologies to detect, locate, and map the buried networks of pipes and cables.
Sygma Solutions PAS 128 Compliant Training on Utility Survey provides clear and comprehensive training on all these methodologies. This is a TSA (The Survey Association) approved training course.
PAS 128 Utility Surveyor Training
This PAS128 training is a five day course. It begins with an overview of utility networks, how different services like electricity, water, gas, communication etc., are delivered to end users through underground networks of pipes and cables.
After this, survey methodologies, and conventions used in drawing up STATs plans are discussed. Operatives will then be asked to inspect a site and draw assumed maps of buried utility assets.
Day 2 covers basics of Electrical and Electromagnetic theory, and an overview of HSG47 Guidelines.
Day 3 focuses on VLoc Pro technology, covering signal detection, frequencies, depth current, distortions etc., and how to use this tool to gather accurate information. Operatives will then use this data to compare their eye survey maps and Stats Plan findings.
On Day 4 Ground Penetrating Radar Theory is covered. After learning how GPR technology works, operatives will then go on site to use this technology to detect different types of buried utility resources.
Day 5 is the culmination, and involves a practical test and a written exam. For the practical test, two men teams will have to conduct surveys of small sites using all the techniques they learnt on the previous four days. The written exam involves text and graphical questions, requiring a score of 70% to pass the exam.
This PAS128 Course provides a comprehensive fast track training for professionals, helping them stay up-to-date on the guidelines for surveys and the methodologies and standards used in capturing and recording information on underground utilities.