Any type of construction work requires a lot of thought and planning before it ever begins, and we don’t just mean the architectural side of things. When you build anything much larger than a garden shed, the first physical work involves digging down into the ground in order to construct the foundations, but that also requires planning.
There are underground services all over the place, and they can be anywhere, even in situations where you might be forgiven for thinking that there would not be any. Quite obviously they will be present in an industrial or residential estate, and in your local high street, shopping centre, and so on. But out in the middle of a field? Yes. They could be. As we have said before, that field might just be the shortest route from one village to another. Or there could be a property tucked away half a mile down a lane.
The first thing to do is to obtain whatever plans are available from the local utilities in the area. However, these can be very unreliable. This is partly because there is no uniform method of recording underground services throughout the UK, so each utility keeps its’ plans in whatever way it chooses. Furthermore, over the years, what were originally drawings on paper have been transferred to microfiche, then to computerised, and so errors can have crept in along the way.
Plans, or STATS as they are known, may also have been wrong in the first place. For example, a utility instructs a contractor to lay a service at 6’ depth. However, the contractor cuts corners and only digs down to 4’. The utility believes them to be at 6’, so that is what the STATS say. Finally, in some cases there may be no plans at all because they have been lost or destroyed. This is why you can only ever use STATS as a guide.
Obviously, you then carry out a site visit to spot the location of drain covers, valve covers, manholes, and so on, and also signs of patching of road surfaces. But then you need to carry out a thorough underground survey using the CAT and Genny in order to be certain to be able to undertake cable avoidance.
The cable avoidance tools that we have available today are very good indeed and can locate most things. However, they also have certain limitations, and it is vital that a surveyor carrying out such work is well aware of them and knows what to do. If not, there could be a situation where it is thought that there are no services on the site when, in fact, there are.
This is why the cable avoidance training that we provide at Sygma Solutions is a critical part of understanding not only how to use the various tools in different circumstances, but how to recognise that there might be a situation where it appears at first sight that there are no services when there are.
Our cable avoidance training produces surveyors who obtain the highest qualifications, so that they can work on the strictest projects such as HS2.
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