One of the biggest dangers in the construction industry is that of injury to workers. There are dangers at all stages of a project that need to be managed in order to minimise the ever-present possibilities of injury or death. Accidents occur all the time.

Virtually every construction project begins with excavation of the ground in order to build foundations for a building and to lay service pipes and cables. The problem is that in very many cases on a building site, there may well be existing services that run across it or alongside it and it is essential to avoid hitting these with a pick, shovel, or for that matter a JCB.

In turn, that means that before you begin any sort of excavation work you need to carry out a physical survey of the site in order to locate and identify any services that may be present. These can then be marked out on the ground surface so that workers know what is where.

The two main pieces of equipment that are used in order to locate and identify underground services are the CAT – Cable Avoidance Tool – and the Genny – Signal Generator. These are highly sophisticated pieces of equipment that can locate the majority of underground services.

Obtain STATS

Before beginning any excavation, the first thing to do is to obtain any plans, or STATS, that are available from the local utility suppliers. However, these can only ever be used as a guide. They may be out of date. They may well be wrong. They may even be non-existent. But at least it is a good starting point. Once you have such information, you can then carry out a site survey with the CAT and Genny.

However, the use of the cable avoidance tools is not simply a question of taking them out of the box and reading the instructions, as we have said before. It is akin to learning to drive a car. You don’t just buy a car and read the manual. You need instruction, and you need to practice. The same thing applies to the process of locating underground services in order to avoid a cable strike.

Fortunately, learning to use the CAT and Genny correctly doesn’t take as long as learning to drive a car and pass your test. But you do need to know how to use them in all their various modes, and most importantly understand the theory behind them.

Even more importantly, in order to avoid a cable strike, you need to understand that, as good as they are, these tools do have certain limitations. You need to understand what these are and when and why they can occur. If you don’t, you could well be in a situation where you believe that there is nothing on the site where you need to dig when, in fact, there is.

At Sygma Solutions we provide the training that operatives require in order to fully understand the way that the tools work and the implications of the sorts of errors that can occur.

Courses Availability

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

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: Contact us for price (2 spaces F.O.C. with Mala GPR Purchase)
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: Contact us for price (2 spaces F.O.C. with Mala GPR Purchase)
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

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

2nd – 6th September 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

12th – 16th August 2024 Limited Availability

14th – 18th October 2024

25th – 29th November 2024

16th – 20th December 2024

Level 3 Utility Mapping and Surveying Public Course

12th – 13th August Limited Availability

14th – 15th October 2024

25th – 26th November 2024

16th – 17th December 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

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