There are estimated to be anywhere between 1.5 million kilometers and 2.5 million kilometers of underground services in the UK, depending on whose figures you believe. Whichever figure is correct, it is a lot of buried assets, and they can be found anywhere, even in the most unlikely places.

In order to maintain and/or repair this huge amount of services, the utilities and Local Authorities between them carry out an estimated 3.5 million street works every year. Obviously, it is essential to take every precaution to avoid striking any underground services when carrying out any excavation work, partly because damaging the services can be costly and interrupt business, but also to avoid the danger of injury to workers carrying out the digging, along with any passers-by. Nonetheless, there are some 60,000 cable strikes in the UK each year which result in approximately a dozen fatalities, and a considerable amount of serious injuries.

Part of the problem is that local authorities and utility services may well keep drawings and plans – STATS – of the location of their buried services, but these may not always be up to date, nor are they always accurate. In some instances, there may be no STATS available at all.

Furthermore, the utilities and local authorities hold their data in different formats, some on microfiche, some vector-based, and some on paper drawings, which means that sharing the information is challenging, costly, and bureaucratic. In addition, there is no central repository of data for buried services and underground apparatus.

This is why, in April 2017, the Institution of Civil Engineers, in collaboration with the British Standards Institute, and Infrastructure UK, which is a division of HM Treasury, published PAS256 which is a national common code of practice which can be implemented across the UK.

Improving the availability of information on these buried services, together with more effective and collaborative planning and co-ordination, will lead to road works being planned better which will result in some major cost savings. It should also lead to more effective reinstatement practices, and, hopefully, longer life of pavements and road surfaces. At present, it is not unusual for one utility to carry out works in a street and repair the road or pavement surface, and then a couple of weeks later another utility, or the local authority, comes along and carries out further works in the same spot.

At Sygma Solutions we provide a PAS256 course as part of our training for operatives who are required to carry out surveys of underground services with the object of avoiding them when carrying out any excavation work.

Courses Availability

GPS Course & Total Station Introduction

This is a 2 day dedicated GPS course with an introduction to Total Station

Please contact us for future dates and a booking form

Please contact enquires@sygma-solutions.com for future dates and a booking form

Open Days

Please contact us about open days

PAS128 Utility Mapping Training Modules mapped to CICES competencies

–  2 days

Module 1 – Pas 128 Level D &C training to include level 3 assessment – CICES GEUS01 A-D

–  3 Days

Module 2 – PAS128 Level B Training – can include Level 4 assessment – CICES GUES01 E-I

Please contact enquires@sygma-solutions.com for future dates and a booking form

2 Day Advanced EM Course (RD8100 & VIVAX)

In depth course covering electromagnetic locators, theory and intensive practical on our real world training site.

Cost: £295 per person
Location: Wigan
Dates:

Please contact us for future dates and a booking form

1 Day Mala GPR Module 1 – Theory & Practical

Cost: FOC
Location: Wigan
Dates:
Please contact us for future dates and a booking form

1 Day Mala GPR Module 2 – Post processing

Cost: FOC
Location: Wigan
Dates:
Please contact us for future dates and a booking form

2 Day GPR – All Manufacturers

Location: Wigan
Dates:

Please contact us for future dates and a booking form

5 Day TSA & ICES Approved 5 Day Utility Mapping Course

Location: Wigan
Dates:

Location: Worcester

Dates:

Please contact us for future dates and a booking form

1 Day Public Genny & CAT course – Can Include Proqual Level 2 Qual as an option

Cost: £175 plus VAT
Location: Wigan
Dates:
Please contact us for future dates and a booking form

Level 3 Utility Mapping Qualification – All Online

Cost: £275 PLUS REG FEE
Location: Online
Dates: To suit

Level 5 Diploma Utility Mapping Qualification – Online workbooks – followed by assessment

Cost £1100 PLUS REG FEE
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre or your site
Dates: To suit

Open level 5 assessment dates at Sygma Solutions, Wigan

Level 5 Diploma Utility Mapping Qualification – in 5 days

Cost – contact us
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
Dates:

5th – 9th February 2024

26th February – 1st March 2024

Sygma PAS 128 Utility Surveyor Training Including Proqual Level 3 Utility Mapping and Surveying
Please contact us for future dates and a booking form

Location: Sygma Solutions training centre , Wigan

22nd – 26th January 2024 Limited spaces available

12th – 16th February 2024

4th – 8th March 2024

Please contact:

enquiries@sygma-solutions.com for current availability and booking form

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