Why this web site
As you will gather this web site has a lot of free content available for download for anybody. We feel that the current state of affairs it’s a complete madness. There seems to be nobody in the industry who has any decent idea on how to find right solutions. And because of lack of solutions there is nobody to lead the change.
It is even greater madness that we force thousands of individuals each and every day to undertake various duties involved around excavating and permit to dig who:
- are given rubbish information to work with;
- no adequate training;
- little time to do things properly;
- documentation which is not worth to wipe your butt with
- no adequate equipment to do the job properly.
We have witnessed hundreds of case studies decades ago and still we see and read about identical scenarios. It is very depressing. Nothing has change in three decades!
So – this web site is simply 10 years of thinking process based on experience from the UK and Australia. It is also analysis of at least 5 Tier One contractors and their systems. Analysis of their attitude. It is the result of working with many utility survey companies and their attitude. It is working with designers and their blunt view on things under the surface. Nothing changes!
The Industry Problems
The industry problems are embedded at every level. Lets just analyse a few key issues:
- Those in charge who initiate the process of engaging utility survey are often highly incompetent or work on Class D sets of plans. HOW YOU START IT’S HOW YOU END.
- Utility Survey companies are often incompetent and lacking essential equipment required to undertake the survey and deliver it to PAS 128 level. This could be locating and surveying equipment.
- Training provided to those involved in PTDs is only designed to demonstrate how to use equipment and not how to locate utilities.
- If we use CAT&GENNY or RD or any other equipment on site and we do not have a GPR unit why the hell we bother to have CAT&GENNY on site in the first place. CAT&GENNY can only trace on average 70% of utilities. The rest can only be attempted with GPR. So why do we not invest in GPR equipment. Why every site does not have one of them at their disposal. This is one of the fundamental problems and questions nobody can answer. There is no logic in it. The cost of GPR units these days is so low there is no excuse to pursue with this idiotic excuses that it is not required. GPR is as equally important as your CAT & GENNY. This is the FACT.
- While working for multiple Tier One contractors in the UK we would not sign off any of those documents as their are a pile of garbage and are inadequate for year 2020. Just to give you a comparison to Permits to Lift…. – 20 years ago we had identical approach to lifts. Today we put people on 5 day training and we have 5 page documents or longer involving and documenting this process. The PTDs has not changed at all. And this is one of the biggest problems – we do not document what we have done and we have no protocols promoting and preventing disasters. If we dropped loads as frequently as we hit series we would all be in jail today!
Can we rectify the Industry problem?
Of course we can. And it’s very simple. It may look expensive at first but if you give it a little thought and when you analyse benefits of what we would like to highlight on this web site you will be left with little doubt that spending a few extra pennies early in the process will pay back hugely.
And everybody involved in the process of PTD will be protected against incompetence, those who want to cut corners and the bullies.
Documenting the process is the key. Documenting all steps allows to identify where a problem occurred, why and who was „to blame”.
The biggest problem we have with PTD process is we expose many young engineers forcing them to do something they have not been trained properly to do and our biggest fear is that when things go wrong there is no paperwork to prove whether the steps before, during and after, that those steps were completed in the right manner.
Our PTD template is the fundamental requirement if we want to make change. But this is just one element of many required to make the change.
Other elements are – procurement, adequate training, investment in equipment, making utility companies to work for us and not allowing them to dictate what we should be getting.
More on all of these in the latter parts of this web site.
The Human Nature
The human nature is very simple. There are at least three aspect that we have to look at:
The first one – we want to do as little as possible and only what we have to.
The second – we will cut corners hoping for the best. We do it every day. Probably each and every one of us – even by driving a car.
The third – those presented with solutions and those responsible for bringing improvement will only pursue with the idea if it is theirs. If you put that person in a bad light (we are meaning SHE Advisors) you cannot win. And this is what we are doing on this web site. Shooting ourselves in both feet most likely.
Please analyse and study the content
Please take time to study all aspects of our approach and problem analysis.
This web site is not only to give you a highly developed PTD template but it will also explain to you how and where to make additional changes which are essential to make everything work properly. Those other elements are: procurement, training, equipment, knowledge to challenge, review of your own skills and those you engage and pay to provide information which often determine the safety of your key staff.
If you have any additional suggestions we are happy to hear it. Nobody is perfect and if anything can be improved we want to be in the forefront of those changes.
Would you like a presentation?
If you would like a PowerPoint presentation – whether in person, via Skype or as a video please do not hesitate to get in touch. The more we accomplish in making the change the better. We seek no pay for what you can find on this web.
Please review and adopt what you feel would help you to make improvements.
What we can guarantee – after you spoke to us your view on utilities will be totally upside down.
Studying the rest of the web content should be enough to give you the confidence speaking to us will be no time wasted.
CV background and Professional Experience
The Company Director – Arthur Piotrowski has worked for nearly 20 years in Australia and the UK in various roles as a civil engineer, as a utility surveyor and as a utility manager.
Having scratched his head for some 5 years starting form 2014, Arthur began to work on analysing all layers and aspects of all stages where various professionals are playing part in PTD.
The problem appears to be incredibly complex and there is no simple fix.
During those 5 years the contracts Arthur worked on presented opportunities to work on putting more meat on the bones.
With understanding in locating, surveying, setting out, design and management of diversions – all of this experiences exposed the deep problems broadly acknowledged yet heavily ignored as not at the core of problems. Again – only tackling all aspect – only then we can make the change.
We would like to thank those individuals who enabled Arthur during these 5 years to test his ideas and to derogate from company policies. Nothing would be accomplished without physical applications of all of these proposals.
This site is designed to help you understand what PAS128 is, its problems and how to incorporate this Standard within your Company PTD Procedure in a very simple way.
By following these simple steps you will create a robust and almost bullet proof system where service strikes should only occur as a result of human negligence or if an uncharted, non-traceable service is come across.
Documenting the PTD step by step is a key to protect everybody involved in the process. And those who are on the front line of this system are most exposed by the shortcomings of the systems and by what we think not having enough support, training and time to do things right.
We have decided to enable all our knowledge to be freely accessible. Take what you want. These are what we would like to share:
- PAS128PTD Filing Structure
- PAS128PTD CAD Template
- PAS128PTD Template
- CAD Examples of what your Utility Survey should look like
- How to Locate – The Guidance on how to approach locating. This document should be part of every CAT&GENNY / RD8100 or other locating equipment.
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Youtube Videos?
PUT IT TO GOOD USE!