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.
However, striking an electricity cable can result in serious injury, and in some instances may be fatal. There are around 60,000 cable strikes in the UK every year, many causing serious injury, and around one dozen fatalities.
There can also be financial penalties for companies involved. A year or two back, one company was fined something of the order of £250,000 after a cable strike by one of its’ contractors was fatal. The company had actually carried out an underground survey and located the 11,000-volt cable but failed to pass the information on to the sub-contractors carrying out the work!
Most contractors are reputable companies and do take precautions before commencing any excavation work, which makes you wonder why there are 60,000 cable strikes a year. The answer is lack of sufficient training. There are training courses in the use of the CAT and Genny for the location and identification of underground services, and cable avoidance, but some of them don’t go deep enough into all of the possibilities, nor yet the limitations of the equipment that is available.
A very simple example is the fact that these tools can only locate services down to a certain depth. If an inexperienced operative is not aware of the limitations, he or she might produce a negative result and therefore assume that there is nothing there. However, the service could be below the depth at which the tool could locate it. This is why one should use a locator again after digging down every foot or so. It is also why first-class training in the use of the tools is required.
If the course you are looking for has no dates or you would like a course built for your company please contact
enquiries@sygma-solutions.com for current availability and booking form
Open Days
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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 (RD8100/8200 & VIVAX)
In depth course covering electromagnetic locators, theory and intensive practical on our real world training site.
Cost: £295 per person
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
30th – 31st May 2024
23rd – 24th July 2024
5th – 6th September 2024
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
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1 Day Mala GPR Module 1 – Theory & Practical
Cost: FOC
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
Dates: Contact Us
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1 Day Mala GPR Module 2 – Post processing
Cost: FOC
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
Dates: Contact Us
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2 Day GPR – All Manufacturers
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
Dates: Contact Us
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5 Day TSA & ICES Approved 5 Day Utility Mapping Course
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
Dates: Contact Us
Location: Worcester
Dates: Contact Us
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1 Day Public Genny & CAT Course – Can include ProQual Level 2 Qualification as an option
Cost: £175 plus VAT
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, 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:
3rd – 7th June 2024
1st – 5th July 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
15th – 19th April 2024 Limited spaces available
20th – 24th May 2024
10th – 14th June 2024
8th – 12th July 2024
Level 3 Utility Mapping and Surveying Public Course
24th – 25th June 2024
1st – 2nd July 2024
24th – 25th September 2024
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
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
Please contact:
enquiries@sygma-solutions.com for current availability and booking form