Cat And Genny Training in Bristol

CAT & Genny training for Bristol businesses

Bristol has a constant mix of construction, redevelopment, utilities, highways and infrastructure work. For contractors breaking ground on busy sites, established industrial areas or existing developments, knowing what may be below the surface is an important part of planning the job.

Vally Plant Training provides CAT & Genny training in Bristol for employers who need their workforce trained to use cable avoidance equipment correctly before excavation starts.

We can deliver training at suitable customer sites across Bristol, making this a practical option for businesses with several groundworkers, excavator operators, utilities employees or supervisors requiring the same training.

Rather than losing several working days sending employees away individually, up to six candidates can complete the course together.

Businesses arranging wider workforce development can also view our full range of plant training courses or learn more about NPORS plant operator training.

CAT & Genny Training in Bristol at a Glance

Which CAT & Genny course do I need?

There are two CAT & Genny routes available through Vally Plant Training: Novice Training and Refresher Training.

There is no Experienced Worker Test route for CAT & Genny.

Novice CAT & Genny training

Novice training is the correct starting point for candidates who haven’t previously completed suitable recognised CAT & Genny or cable avoidance training.

The fact that somebody has worked around excavations for years doesn’t necessarily mean they have been trained to carry out an underground service survey.

During the course, candidates build an understanding of the equipment before using it practically. This includes systematic scanning, different detection modes, use of the Signal Generator and recognition of the limitations of underground service locating equipment.

Our NPORS Novice Training Guide provides more information about novice training across our wider range of plant courses.

Refresher CAT & Genny training

Refresher training is for candidates who can demonstrate suitable recognised previous CAT & Genny or cable avoidance training.

For example, a Bristol contractor may have employees whose previous cable avoidance certificates have expired and now need their knowledge and practical skills brought up to date.

Suitable previous accredited training from another recognised awarding body may also allow a candidate to take the refresher route.

Practical experience alone is not automatically enough.

Our NPORS Refresher Training Guide explains refresher training across other eligible NPORS categories.

I’m experienced. Can I just take a CAT & Genny test?

No. CAT & Genny does not have an Experienced Worker Test route at Vally Plant Training.

This is different from categories such as excavators, dumpers and telehandlers, where a suitably experienced operator may be eligible for an assessment-only route.

If your Bristol workforce also needs plant operator assessments, our NPORS Experienced Worker Test Guide explains how the EWT route works for eligible categories.

The Complete NPORS Guide provides a wider explanation of NPORS training, testing and operator cards.

What is CAT & Genny training?

CAT & Genny training teaches workers how to use cable avoidance equipment to help locate underground services before excavation or other ground disturbance.

CAT stands for Cable Avoidance Tool.

Depending on the workplace or manufacturer, workers may also refer to the equipment as a:

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

The Genny is a Signal Generator used with compatible locating equipment.

Together, the equipment can provide valuable information about what may be beneath the proposed work area.

However, a CAT & Genny survey isn’t proof that the ground is clear. Formal training therefore needs to cover the limitations of the equipment as well as its operation.

You can find full national course information on our main CAT & Genny Training Course page.

Who should attend CAT & Genny training in Bristol?

The course is relevant to more than just plant operators.

Workers who may need cable avoidance training include:

• Groundworkers
• Excavator operators
• Civil engineering operatives
• Drainage teams
• Utility workers
• Highway maintenance personnel
• Site engineers
• Site supervisors
• Construction workers
• Landscapers
• Maintenance employees
• Employees involved with permits to dig

The key question is whether the employee is expected to use underground service locating equipment as part of their work.

If they are, they need to understand how to use the equipment and what its results actually mean.

What does CAT & Genny training cover?

The course combines underground-service awareness with practical equipment use.

Training can include:

• Underground service hazards
• CAT and Genny pre-use checks
• Systematic site scanning
• Cable locator operation
• Power mode
• Radio mode
• Generator mode
• Signal Generator operation
• Applying a signal to a suitable service
• Tracing detectable signals
• Interpreting equipment responses
• Marking suspected services
• Utility drawings and service plans
• Physical signs of buried services
• Equipment limitations
• Re-scanning during work
• Safe excavation awareness
• Equipment care and storage

The purpose is to give candidates a proper understanding of the locating process rather than teaching them to simply walk over an area holding a CAT scanner.

Underground service locating on busy Bristol sites

Working in a large urban area can create different challenges from excavating on a new, open site.

Established roads, commercial areas, housing, industrial premises and previously developed land can contain several generations of buried infrastructure.

A proposed excavation might involve electricity, gas, water, drainage, telecommunications, fibre and private services within a relatively small area.

Services may also have been altered or diverted as sites have developed.

That makes it particularly important for Bristol contractors to consider the information available from several sources rather than relying on a single CAT scan.

HSG47 and planning work around buried services

HSE guidance HSG47 – Avoiding Danger from Underground Services describes three basic elements of a safe system of work: planning the work, locating and identifying buried services, and safe excavation.

CAT & Genny equipment forms part of that process, rather than replacing it.

Service plans, site observations, risk assessments, safe digging methods and appropriate work controls may all need to be considered alongside the information obtained from cable locating equipment.

Our Working Near Underground Services Guide looks at the wider process operators and employers should consider when preparing to work around buried utilities.

Power, Radio and Generator modes

A common mistake is to assume that passing over an excavation area once with a cable detector is enough.

It isn’t.

CAT equipment can use different locating modes, and candidates need to understand what each one is intended to detect.

Power mode

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

A cable that isn’t producing a suitable detectable signal may not be identified simply because Power mode has been selected.

Radio mode

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

Again, a lack of response doesn’t prove that the ground is clear.

Generator mode

The Signal Generator can be used to apply a detectable signal to a suitable service.

The CAT can then be used to help trace that signal.

Training candidates to understand the differences between these modes is an important part of developing a more systematic approach to underground service detection.

Why the Genny matters

A CAT isn’t designed to be used only in passive locating modes.

Where conditions and the service allow, the Genny provides another method of locating and tracing underground infrastructure.

Candidates learn why applying a signal can provide additional information and why the Signal Generator should be regarded as an important part of the cable avoidance process rather than an optional extra that stays in the van.

Service drawings don’t tell the whole story

Underground service plans are valuable, but they shouldn’t be treated as a precise map of everything below the ground.

The actual route or position found on site may differ from what somebody expects from the drawing.

The opposite is also true: failing to obtain a strong CAT response doesn’t mean a service shown on a plan can simply be ignored.

Good underground service locating involves comparing the available information and investigating discrepancies before excavation begins.

CAT & Genny training for Bristol excavator operators

Excavator operators are often directly involved in trenching, drainage, foundations, service installation and other work where buried infrastructure may be present.

But an excavator ticket and CAT & Genny training demonstrate different competencies.

Being trained to operate an excavator doesn’t automatically demonstrate that somebody knows how to carry out a proper cable avoidance survey.

Likewise, passing a CAT & Genny course doesn’t make somebody competent to operate an excavator.

Employers requiring both can arrange 360 Excavator Training alongside their cable avoidance requirements.

CAT & Genny training for civil engineering and utilities work

Bristol has substantial civil engineering, development and utilities activity, making underground service awareness particularly relevant to contractors working across the area.

CAT & Genny training can support employees involved in:

• Drainage installation
• Utility connections
• Ducting
• Service repairs
• Trenching
• Highway works
• Foundation excavation
• External works
• Commercial development
• Housing projects
• Site redevelopment

The course isn’t a substitute for a safe system of work, but it gives employees responsible for locating services a better understanding of the equipment they are expected to use.

Working around existing buildings and developments

Not every service strike happens during a large excavation.

Relatively small jobs around existing premises can involve buried cables and pipes.

Excavation for a new gate, drainage run, lighting column, foundation, duct, extension or landscaping project can all disturb ground containing existing infrastructure.

On older or heavily developed sites, private services may also be present in addition to statutory utilities.

For Bristol businesses carrying out refurbishment, maintenance and redevelopment, cable avoidance training can therefore be relevant even when excavation is only one small part of the overall project.

Finding a service doesn’t make excavation automatically safe

Locating and marking a suspected service is an important stage, but it isn’t the end of the process.

The findings need to be communicated to the people planning, supervising and carrying out the excavation.

Appropriate excavation methods can then be selected based on the hazards identified and the uncertainty that remains.

Re-scanning may also be necessary as work progresses.

Where appropriate, careful digging methods and trial holes can help establish the actual position of buried infrastructure.

A CAT scan should never be treated as a guarantee that nothing else is present.

Train several Bristol employees together

CAT & Genny training can accommodate up to six candidates, making workplace delivery particularly useful for companies with a team to train.

Instead of arranging separate courses for individual employees, employers can bring groundworkers, excavator operators, supervisors or utilities personnel together for the same training day.

This can also help establish a more consistent approach to underground service locating across the workforce.

If several different plant competencies are required, browse our full range of NPORS training courses.

On-site CAT & Genny training across Bristol

Vally Plant Training can provide on-site CAT & Genny training throughout Bristol and surrounding areas where suitable facilities and equipment are available.

Coverage can include:

Bristol • Avonmouth • Filton • Patchway • Bradley Stoke • Kingswood • Keynsham • Portishead • Yate • South Gloucestershire • North Somerset and surrounding areas.

On-site delivery can be particularly useful for contractors operating from depots, construction projects, civil engineering sites and other controlled workplaces.

For larger groups, it can reduce travel and make training easier to organise around operational commitments.

CAT & Genny training at our Tewkesbury centre

Bristol candidates can also attend our dedicated training centre at Newton Farm Business Park, Ashchurch, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire GL20 7BE.

The centre is close to M5 Junction 9, giving candidates travelling from Bristol straightforward motorway access.

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

Centre training can be a better option for individuals, small businesses and employers that don’t have suitable equipment or facilities for practical training at their own premises.

Requirements for on-site training in Bristol

Before we arrange workplace training, the site needs to be suitable for the theory and practical elements of the course.

Requirements can include:

• Suitable CAT equipment
• Compatible Signal Generator
• Equipment in safe working condition
• Batteries or charging arrangements
• Manufacturer information where required
• Suitable practical scanning area
• Relevant service information where available
• Risk assessments
• Method statements where applicable
• Suitable welfare facilities
• Candidate photo identification
• Required PPE
• Safe separation from unrelated operations

We can discuss the requirements with your business before confirming the training.

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

PPE required for CAT & Genny training

CAT & Genny training prices

Our published centre price for CAT & Genny training is from £280 + VAT per person.

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

This price applies to training at our Tewkesbury training centre. It should not be used as a fixed price for workplace training in Bristol.

On-site Bristol courses are quoted separately because the cost can depend on:

• Candidate numbers
• Site location
• Travel time and distance
• Equipment available
• Training route
• Number of training days
• Additional courses required

Discounts may be available where employers have several candidates or combine different training courses within the same booking.

See our main CAT & Genny Training Course for current national course information.

NPORS and in-house CAT & Genny certification

NPORS CAT & Genny training

NPORS training is appropriate where recognised third-party certification is required by the employer, client or workplace.

Vally Plant Training is an NPORS Approved Training Provider and provides NPORS training across numerous plant and workplace categories.

In-house CAT & Genny training

Some employers may instead require training and assessment for employees working within their own organisation.

In-house certification can be suitable in certain circumstances, but it is not the same as an NPORS Operator Card.

Employers should establish what their client, site, principal contractor or insurer requires before choosing this route.

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

CAT & Genny assessment and certification

Candidates complete the appropriate theory and practical assessment for the course.

Assessment can include:

• Understanding underground service hazards
• Equipment checks
• Correct CAT operation
• Selection of locating modes
• Signal Generator use
• Systematic scanning
• Interpretation of responses
• Understanding equipment limitations
• Safe working procedures

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

Employers who are less familiar with NPORS can read our Complete NPORS Guide or browse our wider Plant Operator Guides.

CITB funding for Bristol businesses

Vally Plant Training is a CITB Training Provider Network Member.

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

If your Bristol business is CITB registered, mention this when requesting your training quotation.

Why Bristol businesses use Vally Plant Training

Vally Plant Training has been providing plant and operator training since 2014.

We deal directly with employers rather than acting as a training-course broker. That means you can discuss the actual job with us — how many employees need training, where they are based, what previous certification they hold and what other plant categories your workforce requires.

For Bristol businesses, we can provide a combination of workplace delivery and centre-based training depending on the course.

Other commonly required courses include 360 Excavator Training, Forward Tipping Dumper Training, Telehandler Training and our wider range of plant training courses.

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