Program Overview
Striking a buried power cable or gas line is one of the most serious risks in excavation work. This one-day program trains crews to use the Amprobe AT-3500 locator and transmitter with confidence, so that services are found, traced and marked before any ground is broken.
Participants start with utility records and on-site evidence, then learn the electromagnetic principles that make cable and pipe location possible. The core of the day is device-specific: menus, modes, sensitivity and frequency selection, calibration and pre-use testing of the AT-3500 receiver and transmitter, followed by an extended outdoor practical on a test area with buried services of known position. The program stresses that a locator is one tool in a safe system of work. Records, visual evidence, trial holes and hand-digging all play a part, and operators learn when a signal should not be trusted, such as near congested service corridors, reinforced concrete or poorly bonded metallic pipes.
Learning Outcomes
- Interpret utility plans, symbols and site indicators to anticipate where services run
- Explain how passive and active electromagnetic location works
- Set up the AT-3500 receiver and transmitter and complete pre-use and calibration checks
- Select direct connection, clamp or induction mode for a given locating task
- Trace, pinpoint and mark buried cables and pipes in line with safe digging guidance
Program Modules
- Interpreting Utility Plans and Symbols — reading records from power, gas, water and telecom owners and recognizing their limits
- Identifying Services on the Ground — visual evidence such as covers, pedestals, reinstatement scars and service entries
- Electromagnetic Location Theory — how signals radiate from conductors and how a locator detects them
- AT-3500 Controls and Displays — what each indicator, bar graph and audio cue on the receiver means
- Operating Modes and Transmitter Use — direct connection, signal clamp and induction modes in practice
- Setup, Menus, Calibration and Pre-Use Testing — configuration, self-test and confidence checks before every job
- Outdoor Practical Locating — sweeping, tracing and marking services on a designated test area
Who Should Attend
- Excavation and civil works crews
- Utility and telecom field technicians
- Site supervisors and permit issuers
- Surveyors carrying out utility detection
- Health and safety officers overseeing groundworks
Standards & Codes Referenced
- HSE HSG47 (Avoiding Danger from Underground Services)
- OSHA 2226-10R (Trenching and Excavation Safety)
- BSI PAS 128:2014 (Underground Utility Detection, Verification and Location)
Assessment & Certification
Competence is confirmed through a written examination on locating principles, device operation and safe digging practice and a practical assessment in which each participant locates and marks buried services on a controlled test field. Practical sessions take place at ASEEE-approved training centers under the supervision of a qualified assessor. Assessors observe correct mode selection, a complete sweep pattern and accurate marking, and check that each participant can explain the limits of the result to an excavation supervisor.
Successful candidates receive the ASEEE competency certificate, which carries a unique ID that employers and clients can verify online through Certificate Check. Recertification is recommended every 3 years.
