One of the most dangerous things that can happen to any worker when working below ground level is making accidental contact with underground services such as electricity cables and gas pipes. Other services can also present problems, such as water, telecoms, fibre optic, sewage, and so on, and indeed striking a water pipe can result in injury, and we don’t need to go into details about the health risks of sewage pipes. But electric and gas are the most likely to cause injury and/or be fatal.

Arcing electricity from a cable strike can cause serious burns to face, arms, hands, and legs, while striking a gas pipe can cause fire and explosion. On occasion, whole buildings have been wrecked.

It is not just the problems of injury but also the financial implications. Strike any type of underground services and at the very least the contractor has men standing idle until the utility company can come out and fix it. However, it can be considerably worse than that because damage may be caused to local businesses who then put in claims for compensation. Cut off the internet of a business and it could have serious financial consequences.

It is also highly likely that the main contractor or whoever is employing the sub-contractor doing the work could charge for delays to the project and more, resulting in claims for huge amounts. There is also the damage caused to the reputation of the contractor doing the work which could result in lost future business.

Where any sort of injury, or death, is the result, compensation claims can run into the hundreds of thousands. It has not been unknown for companies to go out of business as a result of a cable strike.

All this makes pretty grim reading but unfortunately is a fact. There are approximately 60,000 strikes of underground services every year – 1,150 a week. This is why it is essential to undertake every possible step to locate and identify underground services in any area where digging is involved. And this is why, at Sygma Solutions, we are in existence.

We are here for the sole purpose of providing first-class training in the location of underground services using the CAT and Genny and everything that is involved with them.

Learning how to operate the CAT and Genny is only a part of what our training courses provide. We are a totally independent operator and our unique EUSR CAT and Genny course is approved not only by the EUSR (Energy and Utilities Skills Register), but also the CITB and TSA – The Survey Association.

We don’t just teach how to use the equipment but cover everything from the “ground up”, beginning with the reasons for using the CAT and Genny, both from the safety point of view and the financial implications as well.

We next cover how to use and read utility plans, using real examples. Utility plans can vary enormously from one utility to another as there is no set standard. They can be in a variety of formats, and can also be wrong. Obviously, one needs to get the plans, or STATS as they are known, but they need to be read with a certain amount of healthy awareness that they are not always correct. This can be for a number of reasons: for instance, the utility may have been moved and the STATS not updated for one reason or another.

We also cover theory including the benefits of the CAT and Genny and most importantly, their limitations – and they do have certain limitations. It is critical to understand these because it can make all the difference between striking a utility and avoiding it.

At Sygma Solutions we don’t just teach in the classroom. We provide hands-on practical training out on site so that operatives learn how to use the tools in real conditions. In addition, our courses cover the use of equipment from different manufacturers such as RadioDetection, C-Scope, and Kolectric.

Between us, we have over 100 years of combined experience in the manufacture and use of the CAT and Genny and we understand how they work, why they work, and most importantly, as we said their limitations. To find out more, click on the Courses link at the top of the page.