Dial Before You Dig
At South East Scanning, safety and responsible excavation practices are at the core of our operations. We understand the critical importance of avoiding damage to underground utilities and infrastructure during excavation activities. To ensure the safety of our team, the public, and the environment, we adhere to the “Dial Before You Dig” principle.
“Dial Before You Dig” (DBYD) is a nationwide service that provides excavation stakeholders, including contractors, builders, and property owners, with crucial information about the location of underground utilities and infrastructure before commencing any digging or excavation work. It is a vital step to prevent accidents, injuries, and costly repairs caused by unintentional damage to underground assets.
Why is "Dial Before You Dig" Important?
Safety: The primary objective of DBYD is to ensure the safety of all involved parties. Accidental damage to utilities like gas lines, electrical cables, water pipes, and telecommunications infrastructure can result in serious injuries, property damage, and even fatalities. By knowing the location of these assets beforehand, we can avoid dangerous situations.
Cost Savings: Damaging underground utilities can lead to significant financial implications. Repairing and replacing damaged infrastructure can be costly, and the responsible party may be held liable for these expenses. By obtaining accurate information through DBYD, we can prevent unnecessary expenses.
Efficiency: Planning your excavation work with the information provided by DBYD helps streamline the process. It allows us to choose the safest and most efficient routes for digging, reducing downtime and ensuring the project progresses smoothly.
- Contact South East Scanning today to inquire about our services for concrete scanning and investigation, or to receive a quote.
Asset Location & Protection Specialists
You’ve probably seen people digging holes for sandcastles at the beach – maybe you’ve even dug a few of your own sandcastles! Unfortunately, it’s not that simple when carrying out a mechanical excavation. Instead of digging into rocks covered by kilos of sand, you’re digging blindly into underground assets like water pipes, communications cables, stormwater pipes, electrical cables and conduit, sewer pipes and fibre-optic cables. While these assets are not seen, that doesn’t mean you can dig into the ground and hope for the best that you don’t hit a cable. The consequences of digging into a cable or into a line are far worse than the benefits of knowing about and using underground asset location.
What is mechanical excavation?
Mechanical excavation uses heavy machinery like trucks, excavators and backhoes. As the machinery is quite large, hitting underground assets is easier than you might think. This type of excavation is used for larger scale projects and generally, the reason for using this machinery is because there aren’t any cables or lines below the surface. However, in the off chance that there is a hidden cable, digging into it could cost weeks or even months of work. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to these things
What is ground penetrating radar technology?
As more buildings are constructed in the city or on the coast, more underground assets are needed to cater for the building location. To minimise the potential disruption of those assets, we use ground penetrating radar technology to map out where the underground assets are to avoid digging into them. GPR is generally known as a geophysical locating method; one that uses radio waves to get images below the ground’s surface. The good thing about this method is that it is a NDT (Non-Destructive testing) technique and doesn’t alter the surface in any way prior to the dig to allow for maximum accuracy.
Here at South East Scanning, we pride ourselves on using industry standard equipment for all of our projects in order to ensure quality as well as to ensure the job gets done well. Because of this, we use Continuous Wave sensors for unequalled penetration depth and resolution. This boasts a live, 3D image in real time with perfect clarity.
How do we mark where the underground assets are?
To keep it simple and to make sure it was implemented with ease across the country, we use the National Colour Coding System for underground utilities.
- Red - Electric power lines, conduit and cables
- Orange - Telecommunications, alarm or signal lines
- Yellow - Gas, oil, steam, petroleum, or other flammable material
- Green - Sewage and drain lines
- Blue - Drinking water
- Purple - Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines
- Pink - Temporary survey markings, unknown/identified facilities
- White - Proposed excavation limits or route
Why should you get this service?
The construction industry is inherently hazardous due to the nature of the work. Because of this, there are always ways to minimise the risks. Knowing what is below the ground before you dig into it can save you a lawsuit or the potential loss of life. Through taking the necessary precautions, you will keep you and your team safe and you’ll know you’re abiding by WHS laws and regulations.
Aside from causing damage to council property if there is a flooded street or cut electricity cable, your workers may get injured when the asset bursts or is cut. While the job may have been carried out by yourself or your team on a regular basis, every geographical underground is different. While there is every chance that the site you’re working on may be almost identical to one you may work on later on that’s one hundred metres away, there’s no way to be completely. Making sure you operate with duty of care obligations means that you keep your business safe from legal accountability.
Underneath the ground, there are many different assets like water and sewage pipes, gas lines, internet cables and telecommunication lines. Usually these are connected to other houses in the neighbourhood or in the case of commercial work, linked to an entire suburb.
As one of the worst case scenarios, if a gas line has been hit, all it takes is one spark to ignite it – causing an explosion. This can be prevented through using underground asset location.
- Contact South East Scanning now to discuss our concrete scanning and investigation services or to obtain a quotation.
Why More Locals Choose
South East Scanning
1. Safe And No Destructive Detection Methods
Over years of research we have developed, safe and non-destructive detection methods.
2. Specialists and Experts
Specialist & expert in the detection of underground services and the non-destructive analysis of concrete for several years
3. Accurate and Reliable
Passionate for reliable & accurate service with measurable results
4. Informative Reporting
Our detection services allows you to see all the dangers and risks of damages that are not always on the plans
5. Licensed Team
All the technicians of Scan Plus are trained experts and well equipped in the latest technologies of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and radio-detection
6. Real Time Reporting
Our technicians create reports on real-time results so you can be proactive
7. GPR Technology
Concrete scanning with GPR Scanners.
8. Locating Underground Utilities
We have years of experience in locating underground utilities during our scans.
9. Locating Underground Conduits
We have years of experience in locating underground conduits during our scans.
10. Family Owned and Operated
Our family run and operated business, receive the service you deserve.
11. Fully Insured
We have insurance up to $20,000,000.
Who we are
We understand that you and your team are on the clock for getting a project underway. To cater for deadlines, our responsive team of locators can provide same-day reporting to this effect to ensure that your organisation is meeting its duty of care obligations as well as allowing you to continue with the build.
The purpose of underground asset location is to minimise the chance of damaging underground services during mechanical excavation. Here at South East Scanning, we use a combination of radio-detection equipment as well as ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technology to locate water pipes, communications cables, stormwater pipes, electrical cables and conduit, sewer pipes and fibre-optic cables.
As we’ve been operating for a long time, our qualified team has worked on large-scale projects, from government departments, builders and project managers, surveyors, engineering companies as well as private homeowners and small businesses.
South-East Scanning is a provider of asset location services for the prevention of damage to underground assets. Our team of experienced locators are equipped with knowledge, experience, and industry-standard locating equipment to provide your business with utility detection works carried out in accordance with Australian Standard 5488-2013, “Classification of Subsurface Utility Information”.
For more information, contact our team today on 1300 175 543!
Message From The Owners
South-East Scanning was established to meet the needs of a variety of industries that required ground-penetrating radar, concrete scanning services and professional utility detection services at a highly professional level.
We perform our work with the utmost care and attention to detail, combined with quick reporting and reliable service. Our service was created to assist a variety of industries including builders, plumbers, concreters, carpenters, and structural engineers. Our primary focus is honest and reliable 24/7 service.
We look forward to assisting you. Please call 1300 175 543 or use the form below for a fast response.
See What Our Happy Customers Think!
- Contact South East Scanning today to discuss our concrete scanning and investigation services or to obtain a quotation.
Our Service Area:
- Gold Coast
- Brisbane
- Ipswich
- Sunshine Coast
