EUSR or Energy and Utility Skills Register is an independent skills platform that provides recognised standards for the utility industry. This platform is run by Energy and Utility Skills, which is the sector skills body for waste management, water, electricity and gas. Furthermore, the platform provides an HSG47 card to operatives and utility workers for accessing a site for digging or excavating.

Together with stakeholders and employees across the utility and energy sector, EUSR has come up with a broad selection of schemes including Utility Excavations scheme. This scheme covers the identification of buried utility services and the implementation of safe excavation or digging practices.

There are several training organisations providing EUSR47 CAT & Genny training courses so that operatives can protect themselves against the dangers from striking an underground cable. The courses render the knowledge and guidance needed by all those involved in the planning, commissioning, managing and also carrying out the work on or near the buried utility services. The training courses outline all the potential dangers of working near buried services and offers expert advice on how the direct risks to people’s safety and health can be reduced, along with the indirect risks that may arise as a result of damage to the services. The courses cover the fundamental elements of safe excavation - planning the excavation work, identifying and locating underground services, and carrying out safe digging. Since the UK already witnesses 60,000 cable strikes each year, receiving proper training is crucial to avoid adding on to that growing number, especially when cable strikes are avoidable.

Importance of EUSR CAT & Genny Training

Striking a buried utility service and damaging it can severely injure the people working on the excavation site and it might even prove to be fatal on some occasions. Making contact or damaging with electricity or gas cables, water pipes can be very dangerous. You might think that striking a sewage pipe is not nearly as dangerous as striking the other pipes and cables, but your workforce might suffer from health issues when exposed to raw sewage.

The primary issue with buried utility services is that they are everywhere. They are even found in places where you would least expect them to be. This is what makes it crucial to conduct an in-depth survey of the site before starting any excavation or digging work. Also, the survey needs to be carried out by someone who has the proper EUSR HSG47 CAT & Genny training. This is because trained personnel will be aware of the best practices and also the right use of cable avoidance tools.

EUSR Trained Surveyors are Preferred

Surveyors with a EUSR card can be trusted because EUSR is an independent and recognised body that only offers recognition to those people who are properly training and meet the highest standards. Whenever someone completes the training programme, the individual is handed a card that enables them to work on different projects, such as HS2. However, one needs to make sure to avail EUSR cable avoidance training only from professional and reputed training providers. There are only a few training companies that meet the strict standards of EUSR HSG47. By undertaking the training programme, an individual will learn the right way to use CAT & Genny and the various modes of the equipment. Also, the training teaches the individuals regarding the limitations of the equipment.

So, if you are engaged in excavation work, sign up for a EUSR training work and make sure to carry out the project safely. Of course, there are site maps, but most of them are outdated and will not be able to provide you with accurate data of the exact location of the underground utility services. You need to gain knowledge and expertise of the specialised cable avoidance tools and also know the safety practices that you need to have in place before beginning excavation.