When you are a contractor who is often called upon to undertake any sort of works which involve breaking the ground, you have to be extremely careful to avoid striking any underground services. This might seem an obvious thing to say, but the fact remains that there are somewhere around 60,000 strikes of underground services every year – about 230 every single working day up and down the country.
This is not just in order to avoid damage to the services themselves, although that’s bad enough, it is all the other problems which can arise, not the least of which is an injury to the worker or workers who cut into or damage the service. Serious injury happens frequently, and there are around a dozen fatalities every year just as a result of striking underground services.
Depending whose figures you believe, there are anywhere up to 1.5 MILLION kilometres of underground services in this country, so they can be anywhere. Even if it is not 1.5 million, it is certainly above one million marks. OK, we all expect to find electricity cables, telephone cables, water pipes, sewage trunking, gas pipes, and so on in the local high street. But services can be found anywhere, even in places where you would NOT expect to find them.
This is why it is critical that, before even breaking the surface of the ground, you must take every precaution to endeavour to locate and avoid any services that may be lying there. All right, striking some services such as water pipes is not as dangerous as electricity cables and gas pipes, but even so, a jet of water coming out of the ground under high pressure can contain stones and other debris and still do a lot of damage. Striking an electricity cable or a gas pipe can cause explosions and fire.
It is essential that surveyors looking for underground services must have every tool available to them, chiefly the CAT and Genny. Used in combination, they will locate most buried services, but even so, they have certain limitations. This is why surveyors need to undertake CAT training on a CAT course such as the ones we provide in order to fully understand what those limitations are.
Just as a quick example, here is one of the problems. You use the CAT and Genny and get a nil return. Then you start digging and at 2 metres down you hit an electricity cable! Perhaps the CAT couldn’t read below 1.5 metres? You thought it was clear, but it wasn’t. This is why you need training from people who truly understand.
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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
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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
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1 Day Mala GPR Module 1 – Theory & Practical
Cost: Contact us for price (2 spaces F.O.C. with Mala GPR Purchase)
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
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1 Day Mala GPR Module 2 – Post processing
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2 Day GPR – All Manufacturers
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5 Day TSA & ICES Approved 5 Day Utility Mapping Course
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
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Location: Worcester
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1 Day Public Genny & CAT Course
Cost: £175 plus VAT
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
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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
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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
2nd – 6th June 2025 Limited Availability
28th July – 1st August 2025 Limited Availability
Sygma PAS 128 Utility Surveyor Training Including Proqual Level 3 Utility Mapping and Surveying
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Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
28th April – 2nd May 2025 Limited Availability
12th – 16th May 2025 Limited Availability
14th – 18th July 2025 Limited Availability
11th – 15th August 2025
8th – 12th September 2025
29th September – 3rd October 2025
27th – 31st October 2025
24th – 28th November 2025
8th – 12th December 2025
Level 3 Utility Mapping and Surveying Public Course
Location: Sygma Solutions training centre, Wigan
28th – 29th April 2025 Limited Availability
12th – 13th May 2025 Limited Availability
14th – 15th July 2025 Limited Availability
11th – 12th August 2025
8th – 9th September 2025
29th – 20th September 2025
27th – 28th October 2025
24th – 25th November 2025
8th – 9th December 2025
GPS Course & Total Station Introduction
This is a 2 day dedicated GPS course with an introduction to Total Station
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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 for any course