How do underground utility surveys help with risk management?

Lucion Group

6th December, 2023

Dominoes being stopped from falling over. The word 'risk' is displayed in between the fallen dominoes and the dominoes still standing.

Every building project, whether commercial, residential, or industrial, will come with its share of risks and limitations. It’s all about how you assess and manage these risks effectively and make sure safety is paramount at all times. An underground utility survey aims to identify the location of subsurface utility infrastructure to form a detailed map for the client.

At Midland Survey, we are the UK’s most trusted surveying provider, and we regularly perform successful underground utility surveys for satisfied clients, including for the most complex of projects. Here we delve into how underground utility surveys help with risk management.

Prioritising the safety of workers and the public

The Health and Safety at Work Act is there to protect builders and contractors working on projects. Underground utility surveys are a measure to help prioritise protecting workers against things like underground cables, electrocution, unsanitary drainage systems, and more.

In addition to prioritising the safety of workers against safety risks, underground utility surveys also help to protect the general public and residents. For example, a damaged water drain bursting may not only cause property damage, but it could also cause a public health risk to residents. Underground utility surveys are there to mitigate risks and scope out subsurface issues before building projects commence.

Avoiding accidental contact with electrical cables

One of the biggest risks posed by building workers undertaking subsurface work is being electrocuted by underground electrical cables, and this can be more easily done than you might think. Another benefit of underground utility surveys is that they scope out the risk of any underground electrical cables beforehand using the latest survey technology devices.

Contributing to important construction project decisions

Before starting a building project, project managers will need to be aware of all the risks involved. Is the land safe to build on? Are there problems with the subsurface infrastructure they need to know about? Thorough underground utility surveys will help to ensure that informed risk management decisions are made.

It’s better to be safe than sorry and get the underground surveys part right, particularly if people have paid a high price to live on a new residential property development. That’s where we at Midland Survey come in.

Environmental protection

Another service we have recently introduced is providing a Preliminary Geoenvironmental Risk Assessment. A lot of building projects involve a lot of underground digging, and this comes with its share of risks. You don’t want site workers or anybody else (or animals!) getting illnesses due to underground contamination from dangerous chemicals. Combined with our underground utility surveys these can help to protect the environment by checking for subsurface contamination before a building project begins.

A lightbulb next to environmentally friendly signs.

Midland Survey make the most of the latest survey technology for risk management

A key way underground utility surveys help with risk management is by using the latest survey technology and equipment, with highly trained staff.. At Midland Survey, we use non-invasive technology to perform GPR surveys for commonly detected underground objects including pipes, wiring and fibre optics.
Interested in getting an underground utility survey to improve your risk management for a project? Get in touch with Midland Survey by calling us on 01926 810811 or emailing mail@midlandsurvey.co.uk.