Do you work in a construction company? If yes, you have probably built several establishments in a different environment. What are the things you considered before and after a construction site is built?
“How to see the underground before starting a project?” This is the most common question by several companies and establishments that want to add another construction site in a different environment.
Before you construct something in a new location, one of the first things you should consider is the health and safety requirements you need to comply with. When building on a new site, you need to familiarize yourself with the type of utilities or infrastructure buried underground. You should know whether they are electrical cables, fiber optic cables, or pipes.
To ensure fast and smooth project construction without compromising the safety of your workers, make sure to create underground utility plans. Do this prior to the actual underground excavation process.
One common mistake among company owners who do underground excavation is making incorrect assumptions on what type of utilities are available underground. A lot of company owners think that they can prevent damaging underground infrastructure during excavation.
On the other hand, not knowing the location of these utilities is major negligence that can cause your company to spend more than usual to replace the damaged utilities. Aside from that, this negligence can also put the lives of your contractors at risk.
Where to Get Underground Utility Plans?
Knowing the type and the location of the current underground utilities is essential in planning and building new infrastructure. Neglecting this part of the planning stage can lead to catastrophic and fatal damages concerning your workers and the public. Your company may also experience a significant loss of income if underground utilities have been damaged or interrupted.
As a company owner, you must look for a reliable agency that offers efficient underground utility plans. This is because they have the tools to assess what’s under your construction site and provide you with a detailed report about the location of pipelines and cables.
Through this, you can now start planning how to construct your building without causing major damage to these underground utilities. Whether you own any size of the property, asking for the assistance of experts will help you know more about what’s under your land before you start any excavation work.
Most of you are doubtful about hiring companies offering underground utility plans because they are quite expensive. But, it is a cost-effective way to minimize the risk of spending more than what is set. Beyond that, doing so can also ensure a smooth and safe work environment for your contractors.
Several companies offer utility locator services. They will give you utility maps consisting of the necessary information you should know about the major structures, pipes, and lines located underground. Using this utility map will help you to easily find the areas where this equipment is buried.
Aside from utility maps, you may also use CAT scanners and other special equipment to ensure that the underground is free from any apparatuses. Both tools will assist you in locating cables and pipes before digging.
Using these tools is extremely essential, especially if you are not familiar with the location or when relevant underground utilities are not included in the plans.
If your project requires deep excavation, then you may probably need additional pieces of evidence to ensure that there will be no problem that may occur during the construction. In that case, you may hire companies with ground-penetrating radar. This ground-penetrating radar is a more advanced underground utility locator that will help you to detect anything buried in the deepest layer of the ground. The good thing about this tool is that it can detect both magnetic and non-magnetic utility items.
Using a ground-penetrating radar will help you avoid hitting cement blocks, tree stumps, or any hard rock during the excavation project. Familiarizing yourself with the location of these things will help you generate an effective excavation strategy that helps you save money and time.
Aside from that, other companies that offer underground utility inspection will also recommend you to map out sewer and water pipes. Pipes that are buried deep into the ground could be a difficult problem to solve.
In cases like this, underground utility companies may use a compact size pipe camera that can go through even the smallest holes in the ground to check what’s underneath. Through this, you don’t need to manually drill the whole system.
Conclusion
You can’t perform excavation work without assessing the construction site. For the sake of your company and your worker’s safety, it is important to know what lies underground before starting a project.
Many of you would think that this isn’t a necessary process and just a waste of time and money. But did you know that underground utility inspection is the most cost-effective way to ensure that everything goes well according to your project construction plan?
That is why we highly recommend establishments out there to make underground utility plans before starting the excavation. Doing so will prevent problems that may occur during the process. Beyond that, having an efficient underground utility plan will prevent your worker from experiencing electrical shock caused by damaged cables you neglect to check.
Aside from ensuring safety, an underground utility plan can also help you to save money by minimizing or preventing possible damages to underground infrastructure. Hire someone who can give you a detailed utility plan a few days or weeks before the start of your project.
You can find several companies that perform responsible utility mapping and inspection using state-of-the-art equipment. Although expensive, doing so can save you tons of bucks over time as it prevents possible accidents and damages.
With an underground utility mapping, you can determine the exact location of the entire sewage pipes, water lines, and electrical cables that lie beneath your construction site. So, if you build a new building in a new setting, make sure to check its underground condition.