Taranaki firm breaking new ground

Taranaki firm breaking new ground in underground service locating

Monday 28 May

A new Taranaki firm, Utility Scan, has been established to provide much needed state-of-the-art underground service locating to the region.

“Strikes on underground services like electricity, gas, water or sewerage are surprisingly common,” says Utility Scan operations manager Ben Giles. “You could be digging in the soil and, bang, you’re on a cable.

“It’s costly and affects a lot of people. Plus, you find yourself and your company on the front page of the paper for all the wrong reasons.”

Utility Scan’s mission is to supply the absolute best information of underground assets and supply it fast so accidents like these can be avoided. They use cutting-edge technology, internationally recognised training and industry experience to make sure clients have the best possible picture of what’s underground before they dig.

Ben says a builder, home DIYer or excavator operator might know about an underground electricity cable, for example, and assume it’s at the industry code depth of 600mm only to discover it’s not even half that depth and lacks any form of conduit or warning tape.

Ben explains that a call to Before U Dig will help provide plans of underground services, but the accuracy of these plans isn’t always guaranteed and may not detail all underground assets nor those that are unknown or disused. The situation only gets more hazardous when working on private properties where loose and unrecorded practises can leave behind a minefield of underground hazards.

Utility Scan’s fast response team offers their clients a full picture of what’s underground by first interpreting existing plans and then using precision locating technology (to detect conductors like electricity cables) and ground penetrating radar (that can see pipes and other assets to depths of several metres). Furthermore, Utility Scan also offers an accurate leak detection service, which uses acoustic technology with sensitive directional microphones to pin point the source of costly leaks.

If New Plymouth’s water crisis in February taught Taranaki residents anything it was that damaged pipes are no fun for anyone. In that case it was a tree that was at fault, but human error can be just as devastating by hitting the mains with a digger or spade. New Zealand has catching up to do with our industry practises in this area. This has motivated Ben and his team to ensure they are accredited to international standards (Utility Scan are members of NULCA—Australia’s industry governing body) and using the best technology available.

In a region famous for its oil and gas and a farming community recently reminded of the preciousness of its water supplies, Utility Scan exists to introduce new levels of peace of mind when it comes to securing our underground assets when digging.

Utility Scan service the entire Taranaki region.

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