Cat & Genny Training in Birmingham

CAT & Genny training for Birmingham businesses

Birmingham contractors can be working on anything from a small commercial refurbishment to major housing, highways, utilities and civil engineering projects. Whatever the size of the job, once the ground is being disturbed, buried services need to be taken seriously.

Vally Plant Training provides CAT & Genny training in Birmingham for businesses that need employees trained to use cable avoidance equipment correctly.

For companies with several people requiring the course, we can deliver the training at a suitable Birmingham workplace. This is particularly useful for groundworks and construction businesses that would rather train a team together than send individual workers to separate courses.

Candidates can include groundworkers, excavation teams, site engineers, utilities workers, supervisors and plant operators.

Employers arranging several competencies can browse our full range of plant training courses or find out more about NPORS plant operator training.

CAT & Genny Training in Birmingham at a Glance

Which CAT & Genny course do I need?

Vally Plant Training offers two CAT & Genny routes: Novice and Refresher.

There is no Experienced Worker Test for CAT & Genny.

Novice CAT & Genny training

Novice training is intended for someone who is new to CAT & Genny equipment or doesn’t hold suitable recognised previous cable avoidance training.

A candidate may have years of construction or excavation experience and still need novice training.

Using a cable locator properly involves more than switching it on and walking across the proposed excavation area. Candidates need to understand the different locating modes, how the Genny is used, systematic scanning and the limitations of the equipment.

Our NPORS Novice Training Guide explains the novice route across our wider range of plant operator training.

Refresher CAT & Genny training

Refresher training is suitable for candidates who can provide evidence of appropriate recognised previous CAT & Genny or cable avoidance training.

This may include a worker whose previous certificate has expired or needs renewing.

Previous recognised accredited cable avoidance training from another suitable awarding body may also allow a candidate to complete refresher training.

Experience alone, without suitable previous certification, does not automatically qualify somebody for the refresher route.

Our NPORS Refresher Training Guide provides further information about refresher training.

Can an experienced worker just take a test?

Not for CAT & Genny.

There is no CAT & Genny Experienced Worker Test at Vally Plant Training.

That differs from several plant categories where suitably experienced operators may be eligible to complete an assessment rather than a full novice course.

If your Birmingham workforce also needs excavator, dumper, telehandler or other plant assessments, our NPORS Experienced Worker Test Guide explains the EWT route for eligible categories.

You can also read our Complete NPORS Guide for a wider explanation of NPORS training, assessments and operator cards.

What is CAT & Genny training?

CAT & Genny training teaches candidates how to use cable avoidance equipment to help identify and trace underground services before excavation.

CAT stands for Cable Avoidance Tool.

The equipment is also commonly referred to as a:

• CAT scanner
• Cable detector
• Cable locator
• Service locator
• Underground utility locator
• Underground service detector

The Genny is a Signal Generator.

Used correctly with compatible locating equipment, it can apply a detectable signal to a suitable service so that the route can be traced.

The training isn’t simply about finding cables. Candidates also need to understand what the equipment cannot tell them and why a clear scan must never automatically be treated as proof that the ground is clear.

Full national course information is available on our CAT & Genny Training Course page.

Who should attend CAT & Genny training?

CAT & Genny training is relevant to workers who may be expected to locate buried services before excavation or other ground disturbance.

This can include:

• Groundworkers
• Excavator operators
• Utilities workers
• Civil engineering operatives
• Drainage teams
• Highway workers
• Site engineers
• Site supervisors
• Construction workers
• Maintenance teams
• Landscapers
• Employees involved in permit-to-dig procedures

A worker doesn’t necessarily need to operate the excavator to require CAT & Genny training.

On many sites, the person carrying out the underground service survey and the person operating the machine will be different people.

What will candidates learn?

The course combines practical cable locator use with an understanding of the hazards associated with buried services.

Training can cover:

• Underground service hazards
• Pre-use equipment checks
• CAT scanner operation
• Systematic search techniques
• Power mode
• Radio mode
• Generator mode
• Signal Generator operation
• Applying and tracing detectable signals
• Interpreting equipment responses
• Service plans and utility information
• Physical signs of buried services
• Marking suspected service routes
• Equipment limitations
• Re-scanning during excavation
• Safe excavation awareness
• Equipment care and storage

The aim is to make sure candidates understand the process behind underground service locating rather than simply learning which buttons to press.

Birmingham sites can have complicated underground services

One of the challenges of working in a large city is that what lies underground may reflect decades of development.

Older industrial areas, existing roads, commercial premises, housing developments and sites that have been redeveloped several times can all contain buried infrastructure.

A relatively small excavation might potentially encounter:

• Electricity cables
• Gas services
• Water mains
• Telecommunications
• Fibre
• Drainage
• Private electrical supplies
• Private water services
• Ducts and other buried infrastructure

Service routes may also have been altered as buildings, roads and sites changed.

That makes proper planning and systematic service locating particularly important when carrying out excavation work around Birmingham.

HSG47 and working around underground services

The HSE’s HSG47 – Avoiding Danger from Underground Services sets out three basic elements of a safe system of work: planning the work, locating and identifying buried services, and excavating safely.

Using a CAT & Genny forms part of that process.

It doesn’t replace utility drawings, risk assessments, site observations, safe digging methods or appropriate control measures.

Our Working Near Underground Services Guide explains the wider approach to preparing for excavation around buried infrastructure.

Understanding CAT scanner modes

Different locating modes are used because underground services don’t all produce the same type of detectable signal.

Power mode

Power mode can help locate detectable signals associated with certain live electrical services.

The important point is that not every cable will necessarily produce a suitable signal.

No response doesn’t automatically mean no cable.

Radio mode

Radio mode searches for radio-frequency signals that may be carried by certain buried metallic services.

Again, the operator needs to understand the limitations rather than treating the absence of a signal as proof that nothing is there.

Generator mode

A Genny can apply a detectable signal to a suitable service.

Compatible CAT equipment can then be used to locate and trace that signal.

Candidates therefore learn why a proper survey can involve several locating methods rather than relying on one quick sweep across the work area.

Why use the Genny?

It’s easy for inexperienced users to concentrate on the CAT and overlook the Signal Generator.

The two pieces of equipment are designed to work together.

Where appropriate, the Genny allows a signal to be applied to a suitable service so the operator can attempt to follow its route.

Understanding when and how to use the Genny can therefore provide additional information that wouldn’t necessarily be obtained by relying solely on passive locating modes.

Service plans are a starting point, not the finished survey

Plans and utility drawings can provide useful information about services expected within a work area.

But they need to be considered alongside what is actually found on site.

The position indicated on a drawing may not correspond exactly with the route identified during the survey. Physical clues such as inspection covers, meter positions, utility cabinets and service entries can also help build a better picture.

If the drawings, site observations and locating results don’t agree, that uncertainty should be dealt with before excavation continues.

CAT & Genny training for Birmingham groundworks teams

Groundworkers are frequently among the first people involved when a project starts breaking ground.

Drainage runs, ducting, kerbs, foundations, service connections and general site preparation can all involve excavation around existing infrastructure.

Training employees who are responsible for scanning can help them understand why the locating process needs to be systematic and why a single pass with the CAT isn’t enough.

For Birmingham contractors operating excavators as well as carrying out underground service surveys, 360 Excavator Training can be arranged separately.

Cable avoidance training for highway and utilities work

Birmingham and the wider West Midlands have an extensive network of roads, utilities and existing infrastructure.

Highway and utility projects can involve working in areas where several services share limited underground space.

CAT & Genny training can therefore be relevant for employees involved in:

• Highway maintenance
• Utility repairs
• New service connections
• Duct installation
• Drainage
• Street works
• Trenching
• Excavation around existing infrastructure

The course gives candidates practical skills in cable avoidance equipment while reinforcing that locating services is only one part of a safe excavation system.

Redevelopment and work on existing sites

Birmingham contractors also carry out substantial amounts of work on existing commercial and industrial sites.

These workplaces can present their own problems.

Private electrical supplies, drainage, water services, lighting feeds and other infrastructure may have been installed or altered over many years.

A proposed excavation that appears straightforward can therefore need the same careful approach as work on a much larger construction project.

CAT & Genny training is relevant wherever employees are expected to locate services before ground disturbance — not only on major civil engineering sites.

What happens after a service has been located?

Finding a suspected service doesn’t mean the excavator can immediately start digging.

The information needs to be marked and communicated to the people involved in the work.

The excavation method should reflect what has been identified and any uncertainty that remains.

Where appropriate, careful excavation techniques and trial holes may be used to establish the actual position of services.

Re-scanning as excavation progresses can also be important.

The key point is simple: a CAT scan is part of safe excavation planning, not permission to assume the ground is clear.

Training several Birmingham employees together

CAT & Genny training can accommodate up to six candidates, making it particularly suitable for group bookings.

For a Birmingham groundworks or construction company, that can mean training a working team together rather than booking employees individually.

This can also help employers develop a more consistent approach to:

• Service drawings
• Site scanning
• Marking detected services
• Permit-to-dig arrangements
• Communication between groundworkers and plant operators

If employees need additional competencies, our plant training courses cover a wide range of operator and workplace training.

On-site CAT & Genny training in Birmingham

We can provide on-site CAT & Genny training across Birmingham and the West Midlands where the workplace, equipment and facilities are suitable.

Areas covered can include:

Birmingham • Solihull • Sutton Coldfield • West Bromwich • Walsall • Dudley • Halesowen • Bromsgrove • Redditch • Wolverhampton and surrounding West Midlands areas.

Workplace training can suit construction companies, groundworks contractors, utilities businesses, civil engineering companies and other employers with several workers requiring the course.

It can reduce unnecessary travel while allowing candidates to train using equipment relevant to their working environment.

CAT & Genny training near Birmingham at our Tewkesbury centre

Businesses and individuals can alternatively attend our training centre at Newton Farm Business Park, Ashchurch, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire GL20 7BE.

The centre is close to Junction 9 of the M5, giving candidates travelling from Birmingham and the West Midlands a straightforward motorway route.

Parking is available, and Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station is approximately five minutes’ walk away.

Centre training is often the easier option for individuals or employers that don’t have a suitable workplace or CAT & Genny equipment available for training.

Requirements for on-site CAT & Genny training

Before workplace training is confirmed, the Birmingham site needs to be suitable for both the theory and practical elements.

Requirements can include:

• Suitable Cable Avoidance Tool
• Compatible Signal Generator
• Equipment in safe working condition
• Suitable batteries or charging arrangements
• Manufacturer information where required
• Safe practical scanning area
• Utility drawings where available
• Relevant risk assessments
• Method statements where applicable
• Suitable welfare facilities
• Candidate photo identification
• Appropriate PPE
• Separation from unrelated site operations

We can discuss the arrangements with your business before the course.

Our Customer Site Requirements for Plant Operator Training provide further information for employers arranging workplace training.

PPE required for CAT & Genny training

CAT & Genny training prices

CAT & Genny training at our Tewkesbury centre starts from £280 + VAT per person.

The applicable NPORS card and registration fee is additional where required.

Published centre prices apply to candidates attending our training facility. Birmingham on-site training is quoted separately.

A workplace quotation can depend on:

• Number of candidates
• Location within Birmingham or the West Midlands
• Travel time and distance
• Training route
• Equipment available
• Number of training days
• Additional courses being booked

For employers with several candidates, training the workforce together can make on-site delivery a practical option.

Discounts may also be available for multiple candidates or multi-course bookings.

Current national course information can be found on our CAT & Genny Training Course page.

NPORS or in-house CAT & Genny certification?

NPORS CAT & Genny training

NPORS training is suitable where recognised third-party certification is required.

Vally Plant Training is an NPORS Approved Training Provider delivering NPORS training for employers and individuals across numerous plant and workplace categories.

In-house CAT & Genny training

In-house certification can be suitable where an employer requires documented workforce training and assessment but doesn’t require an NPORS Operator Card.

An in-house certificate is not the same as an NPORS Operator Card.

Before choosing this option, employers should establish what is accepted by the relevant client, site, principal contractor or insurer.

Our In-House Training vs NPORS Training Guide explains the differences.

CAT & Genny assessment and certification

Candidates complete the appropriate theory and practical assessment.

This can include:

• Underground service hazards
• Equipment checks
• Correct CAT operation
• Locating modes
• Signal Generator use
• Systematic scanning
• Interpreting equipment responses
• Equipment limitations
• Safe working procedures

Successful candidates receive the appropriate certification for the training route completed.

Employers who want a better understanding of NPORS can read our Complete NPORS Guide or browse our wider Plant Operator Guides.

CITB funding for Birmingham employers

Vally Plant Training is a CITB Training Provider Network Member.

Eligible CITB-registered employers may be able to access funding towards qualifying training, subject to current CITB eligibility and funding requirements.

If your Birmingham business is CITB registered, mention this when discussing the booking.

Why Birmingham businesses choose Vally Plant Training

Vally Plant Training has delivered plant and operator training since 2014.

We’re a direct training provider rather than a course-booking broker. Birmingham employers can speak to us about the complete requirement rather than simply buying individual course places.

That might include:

• How many workers need training
• Whether candidates require novice or refresher training
• Previous certificates held
• Workplace or centre delivery
• NPORS or in-house certification
• Other plant categories required
• Group and multi-course bookings

For contractors building a broader training programme, courses such as 360 Excavator Training, Forward Tipping Dumper Training and Telehandler Training can be arranged separately.

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