Underground Utility Surveys

An underground utility survey is a comprehensive mapping process that reveals the precise locations of subsurface utilities like pipes and cables. This information is crucial for project planning as it prevents accidental interference, avoiding costly setbacks, legal issues, and ensuring overall safety.

There are several challenges of an underground utility survey. These include:

• Maintaining accuracy across a survey
• Conflicts of location
• Traffic disruptions
• Lengthy contracts for workers
• Risk of injury for utility owners, road users and contractors

Abiding by PAS 128 means that survey data collection and reporting can be better streamlined, meaning less time is spent working on underground utilities and causing delays or increasing costs.

There are multiple top benefits of using utilities surveys, including:

• Their non-intrusive nature because the modern surveying equipment used means underground utility detection does not involve digging up roads, pavements or other areas
• The cost and time savings of an underground utility survey results in a smoother process for all involved
• An improved health and safety approach means architects, designers and engineers working on the project are safer after a survey is completed
• Future development opportunities can be considered as utility survey information can be stored and used again

PAS128, developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), is the current standard for underground utility detection. It ensures the reliable and consistent sharing and delivery of all information related to underground utilities. With various detail categories available, PAS128 applies to engineers, construction businesses, project managers, utility owners, and surveying companies, setting out best practices for compliant underground utility surveys.

This highly accurate and detailed survey level is generally used in areas known to be densely populated with services, minimising danger, conflict, delays, and disruption to your project.

Construction projects, even when following protocols, can inadvertently damage underground utilities. The use of heavy machinery may lead to ground subsidence, affecting nearby pipes. Lucion mitigates these risks by offering services such as relining affected piping in a non-intrusive manner and ensuring the integrity of subsurface infrastructure during and after construction.

While our underground utility surveys provide information on the location of drainage pipes, Lucion’s CCTV drainage surveys offers insights into their condition.

By inserting a camera down piping, we can assess the state of the drainage system without the need for ground excavation. This preventative measure helps avoid potential damage during above-ground construction work.

Combining Cable Avoidance Tools (CAT) and Signal Generators, also known as Genny tools, with GPR ensures a comprehensive mapping approach. CAT locators focus on metallic objects, while Genny tools assist in tracing a range of utilities more quickly and precisely. This dual approach, coupled with GPR, allows us to map both metallic and non-metallic utilities efficiently.

Cable Avoidance Tools (CAT) trace signals emitted by metallic objects beneath the ground. While Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is effective for non-metallic utilities, CAT locators complement the process by precisely determining the locations and dimensions of metallic fuel, water, and gas pipes, enhancing the overall efficiency of our surveys.

The importance of Ground Penetrating Radars for utilities surveys should not be ignored. GPR emits pulses of energy into the ground, effectively revealing the locations of non-metallic objects such as plastic pipes and fibre optics with unparalleled speed and precision. This revolutionary technology enhances the accuracy of our mapping process, providing you with a detailed subsurface view.