Cable Strikes: A Preventable Tragedy – How to Stay Safe When Digging

In the UK, there are cable strikes every year. This is caused due to accidental contact with underground utilities and cables during excavation work. Cable strikes cause serious property damage, severe injuries, and it can even be fatal in some cases. These tragedies are entirely preventable with proper safety measures and training. At Sygma Solutions Ltd., we provide cable avoidance training programs to help you understand the importance of cable avoidance and ensure your worksite is a safe environment for all.

Mastering Cable Avoidance: The Importance of HSG47 Training

Even a “minor” utility strike can cause immense disruption and financial losses. The risks aren’t worth taking chances – proper training is an absolute must.

What is HSG47?

HSG47 is the Safety Executive’s guidance on safe digging practices to avoid underground services. It outlines the key principles, roles, responsibilities, and risk control measures for anyone undertaking excavation work. Complying with HSG47 Training  is crucial for:

The Importance of Proper Cable Avoidance Training and Techniques

Working around buried utilities is a dangerous job. One slight miscalculation or oversight can lead to striking a power cable, telecom line, gas pipe or other vital infrastructure. This can result in serious safety risks, costly damages, legal issues and project delays.

Master Cable Avoidance with Sygma’s CAT & Genny Course

While some cable avoidance courses focus primarily on passive location methods, at Sygma we believe the genny should be the starting point for every single survey. By introducing a specific signal onto a targeted utility, the genny allows for accurate tracing and mapping in a way passive techniques cannot match.

What are the Consequences of Neglecting CAT Training

The surface of the ground may seem smooth to the naked eye but there lies an intricate network of underground utilities. This complex network includes water pipes, power lines and communication cables. These underground utilities are the lifeblood of modern society. However, their unseen presence poses significant risks if it is not treated with proper knowledge and respect. This is where Sygma Solutions Ltd.’s Cable Avoidance Training comes to the rescue.

Locating Underground Services: What You Need To Know

It is probably fair to say that more than 90% of homeowners who have a garden never give a passing thought to what lies under their lawns or their flower beds, and yet there are things such as electricity cables, sewage pipes, water pipes, gas pipes, and so on that provide the necessary services into their homes.

Our Cable Avoidance Training Leaves No Stone Unturned

Cable avoidance is an all-embracing term for the work required to avoid striking / damaging any sort of underground service, of which there are many. There are some 4 million ground excavations every year in the UK, leading to around 60,000 cable strikes. This may seem a small percentage, but the fact is that a large number of them cause injury to workers, and in some cases – around a dozen every year – are fatal.

Checking For Underground Services Before Digging Is Essential

When undertaking any sort of work that requires digging, before you even pick up a spade, the first thing that is necessary is to check for underground services.

Despite what many people think, underground services – electricity cables, gas pipes, telecoms, fibre optics, water pipes, sewage, and many more – can be absolutely anywhere. That includes in your own back or front garden. If you stop to think about it, your home has electricity, water, and sewage pipes as an absolute minimum.

The Essentials of Cable Avoidance: Uncovering Safety Underground

Did you know that beneath your feet, there’s a hidden network of utility lines, pipelines and cables? They ensure the seamless continuation of modern world functions but crisscross each other to form a maze. Due to this maze, it becomes essential for construction workers and other professionals involved in excavation and related activities to be careful of these invisible threats. These professionals must know cable avoidance and have the skills to use the required tools.

Cable Avoidance Training Advice for Employers in the Construction Industry

In the fast-paced world of construction, safety should always be a top priority. As an employer in the industry, you are responsible for the well-being of your workers and the success of your projects.

One crucial aspect of ensuring safety on construction sites is cable avoidance training. In this post, we offer advice and insights for employers in the construction industry on how to approach cable avoidance training effectively.