Underground services can be found and disturbed during street works, road works, excavations, drilling and piling, demolition and site remediation, site investigations, and any other work that involves penetrating the ground, and yet a survey has shown that almost one third (31%) of construction workers admit that they do not always check for underground electricity cables or other services before starting an excavation.
Yet, believe it or not, 93% of construction workers interviewed stated that they always dig safely. The reasons given for failing to check for underground service were that they didn’t think that it was their responsibility (15%), while no fewer than 24% said that they did not think they would dig deep enough to hit anything.
Incidents of electricity cable strikes have increased by 46% since the last lockdown ended, and since 2015 an average 70 people a year have been seriously injured as a result of striking underground electricity cables alone (https://www.utilitystrikeavoidancegroup.org/news-and-comment).
On top of that, many people have been injured by striking other underground services. Hitting a gas pipe can cause fire and explosion. Striking a water pipe might seem not to be as serious, but water under pressure can hurl stones and other objects from the ground at speed. Sewers are generally gravity-fed, but the main danger here is to the health of workers exposed to raw sewage.
There are also pipelines containing other fluids under pressure, toxic liquids and gases which carry a risk of poisoning, flammable liquids and gases, and inert gases such as nitrogen and argon which carry a risk of asphyxiation. In many cases a liquid may be both toxic and flammable. Some gases are heavier than air and they can accumulate underground in places such as manholes.
Striking telecoms fortunately has a low element of risk to workers, but can be very expensive to repair, and cause disruption to those relying on the systems.
All of this is why it is vital to carry out thorough checks and surveys before beginning to carry out any form of excavation work. Maps and plans from utilities must be obtained, but they can be very unreliable. There are many reasons why they can be out of date, and where services have been moved around or replaced. So, plans, or STATS, can only be used as a guide. It is necessary to carry out an on-site survey using the CAT and Genny, together with GPR, in order to be as certain as possible regarding cable avoidance.
Even then, as good as these tools are, they do have certain limitations, and this is why the cable avoidance training that we provide at Sygma Solutions is essential for operatives carrying out such surveys. For instance, some high voltage electricity cables are of the “balanced” type and are designed not to give off any signal. So, you would then use GPR, but even this can have its’ problems if the site is uneven or overgrown. Services may also be buried in heavy clay or wet soils which can cause issues. Our training will help operatives to be aware of the limitations of location equipment.
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