When carrying out any sort of construction contract, unless it is a refurbishment project, there is one thing that is common to all, and that is that it is necessary to dig into the ground. Buildings need foundations. They also need all the services that a building requires – water, sewage pipes, telecoms, electricity, maybe gas, and more.
This means that before building work can be started it is necessary to lay the foundations, and in order to do that you have to dig. If the construction work is in a town or city, it is fairly obvious that there will be a lot of underground utilities in or close to the area where construction is taking place, so it is vital to find out where all these run, so that no damage is caused when excavation starts.
In fact, underground services can be almost anywhere, even in places that you might not expect to find them. We have mentioned this before, but you could be digging out in a field or a clearing in a wood and imagine there is nothing there. But it might just be the shortest route from one village to another or there could be a cottage at the end of a long lane, so there could be services there. The thing is, if you don’t know for certain, you must assume that there are underground services where you need to dig.
That means that you need to take this into consideration when planning the work in the first instance. Therefore, the first thing to do is to contact utilities in the area and obtain whatever plans they have.
Sadly, you cannot rely on these for a number of reasons, but they can give you an idea of where services lie. Many plans are out of date. A service may have been replaced with a new one to one side, or above, or below the old one, but the records have not been updated. They may have been lost. They may have been wrong in the first place. For example, a utility might have instructed a contractor to lay a service six feet down, but the site manager wanted to finish early and only dug down four feet. Things like this do happen!
Once you have the plans, or STATS, it is then necessary to carry out a full survey of the site using the CAT and Genny and sometimes GPR.
The CATSCAN course that we run at Sygma Solutions goes into great detail in the use of these tools, starting with the very basics in the classroom such as electromagnetic theory and how a pipe and cable locator works. Our CATSCAN course then takes operatives out into the field to carry out practical work.
When operatives have passed the exam, they are then able to obtain their necessary qualification in cable avoidance.
A qualification in cable avoidance will enable the operative to obtain a gold CSCS card. This is now a requirement for working on more and more sites, such as HS2 and Heathrow Airport among many others.
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
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 (RD8100/8200 & 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
Please contact us for future dates and a booking form
1 Day Mala GPR Module 1 – Theory & Practical
Cost: FOC
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
Dates: Contact Us
Please contact us for future dates and a booking form
1 Day Mala GPR Module 2 – Post processing
Cost: FOC
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
Dates: Contact Us
Please contact us for future dates and a booking form
2 Day GPR – All Manufacturers
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
Dates: Contact Us
Please contact us for future dates and a booking form
5 Day TSA & ICES Approved 5 Day Utility Mapping Course
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
Dates: Contact Us
Location: Worcester
Dates: Contact Us
Please contact us for future dates and a booking form
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