Choosing The Best Utility Locating Devices For Your Underground Works

By Author: Geeta Gusian
Total Articles: 10
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Choosing the best utility locating devices for your underground works

In order to make work easier and manage risks purchasing the right utility locating devices is a smart choice. Service provider who are able to standardize usage of the underground locating equipment’s are able to take advantage of the latest technology in electromagnetic pipe & cable locators and GPR in addition to interpreting the data that allows better project planning and significant reduction in damages and incidental penalties.

There are four major types of utility detection that may require to be performed .

1. Necessary Utility equipments:

Buried Pipe & cable locators based on electromagnetics are a first crucial step towards standardizing on utility detection equipment & its utilization as an important activity by project managers or safety executives .For many years the use of CScope Cable Avoidance Tools and Signal Generators has helped utility operators avoid both damage to utilities and personal injury by pinpointing the position ...
... of pipes and cables prior to excavation work commencing.

So effective are these devices that the use of a Cable Avoidance Tool and Signal Generator is now standard practice in the utility and groundwork industries. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) now expect these products to be used in all of their detecting modes before every excavation.

The equipment that is used for more advanced underground locating&mapping is the ground penetrating radar (GPR) that can be fixed on a cart based system so that it can be moved around easily at construction sites. With the help of this equipment you can detect or map the alignment of utilitieswith a fair level of accuracy whether the utility be metallic or non-metallic.The Detector DUO dual frequency GPR is an ideal on site detection GPR for detecting and marking utilities. Whereas, the HIMOD is idea for mapping of buried services over wide areas. Utilized with the GRED HD 3D software from IDS, the capability of the system is significantly enhanced to enable 3D View rendering and tomography or even export of 3D Data visualization to CAD.
Site plans can then be updated for the location of buried utility services such as optical fiber cables, power cables, water pipes, sewer pipes, etc.

2. How easy or difficult is to use Utility locating equipments :Utility mapping is needed for a variety of situations insite survey& planning or excavation planning.

The key to safe and effective locating is that the ground operatives are imparted training to allow build the utility locating expertise . The underground locating equipment’s are designed to be used by operators at all levels and in all conditions. Hence, trainingallows proliferation of knowledge to ensure effective and efficient utilization of equipment on site.
Stanlay has proactively approached the subject by training over 2000 personnel across the country on usage of equipments with reported results cited of as much as 97% drop in cable cuts at most sites. With a continued focus on training as an important parameter to be covered during supply of the equipments has ensured usage across most major projects in India.

Training is not imparted solely on the basis of product knowledge. With accumulated knowledge in excess of over 12 years in the underground space, the operators are introduced to the experiences in various conditions allowing them to make better judgment’s during underground surveying and ensuring reduced if not eliminating risk of cable or pipe cuts.

Ensure that the utility locating service provider that you hire has a wide range of service options and equipment available so that they can help you manage underground utility risk most effectively and meet your requirements.