by managing director and technician, Randall banks

 

Throughout the world all construction trades have had their employees go through rigorous theory and practical exams to complete their trade and gain Qualifications.

However, when it comes to concrete scanning and concrete investigations, there is no formalised training available. This is partially due to the uniqueness of extracting the correct data from the Ground Penetrating Radar and using your knowledge of concrete, steel placement and services to find the clearest possible path for the penetration, chase or trench to be successfully clear of services, post/pre-tensioned cables or steel (if the engineer requires).

In my eight (8) years of scanning the most common question I get asked is “How accurate is your scanner/gpr?”. My response in every situation is “Only as accurate as the set of eyes interpreting the screen”. You see, most GPR kits are not that dissimilar in regard to their set up. Some kits have small advantages but ultimately it all comes down to the “Human interpretation” of the screen.

Don’t get me wrong, knowledge of your GPR kit is extremely essential. To know the advantages and limitations of your GPR kit is the first thing you should be taught. I have trained my technicians never to be scared about conversations with our clients when it comes down to limitations. Whether it be water, limited access to areas or bulk steel it is professional to be able to communicate with clients and let them know that we are offering a “Risk reduction” service and not “Risk Elimination”. If your knowledge is broad enough a conversation about alternative options always helps after a knockback.

So, the question remains, if all GPR kits are relatively similar and human interpretation is the key to a clean job (No hits), then what should a prospective client look for when there are so many options?

#1– Knowledge– Use a company that specifically uses GPR everyday as their No1 form of income. They are more likely to:

–  have invested in training in the use of their GPR

– more likely to upgrade when newer versions are released

– rely solely on reputation for their business to succeed so quality of the end product is higher in quality

– NOT use scanning as a secondary income when a coring/cutting company begins to offer both.

 

The above is tricky as previous history will show that coring/cutting companies see scanning as another “Easy” source of income and  it raises the conflict of interest question. If a worker scans and cores and by accident hits a post/pre-tensioned cable, is he more likely to try and cover up the hit or stop work, and formally report the hit to the Contractor?

 

#2– Reputation– The term “Industry leader” is loosely used on websites and social media sites these days. All companies should back up these claims with Capabilities statements and references freely accessible via website or personal email. Although the references could possibly be close friends or acquaintances, most of the time Professional companies will put forward a reference that has firsthand knowledge at the quality of work provided and will openly discuss if there was a little negative somewhere on a jobsite and more importantly how that issue was resolved. Thus showing how good a company can move forward when it encounters a hit/incident.

This rolls into number 3 perfectly.

 

#3- Procedures- In everyday life there will be times when unexpected things occur. And just as quickly after a hiccup, a solution needs to be found and the show must go on! This is no different to concrete scanning. Over the last eight (8) years of concrete scanning I have endured a handful of (mentally devastating) hits. During the early years the company I was working for started putting together a list of procedures from start to finish. These procedures would change everytime we encountered a hit because we would go straight back with the person who scanned and a second person which provided a second “fresh” set of eyes on the screen. From this incident we would come up with a new Step to add into the procedure that would limit even more, the chance of a hit in the future.

The procedures, when followed from start to finish, provided us with the most accurate results and gave us a path to follow when onsite no matter the conditions.

A wise man once told me “If you fail to prepare, prepare for failure” and scanning blindly compared to scanning with preparation and procedures highlights that.

 

#4- Integrity-  Ok, consider the following scenario, you have engaged a concrete scanning company who comes to site, completes your scanning and leaves with both parties happy with the results. Next your coring contractor comes onsite and starts to core and hits a service after coring all the way through the slab. A good coring contractor will feel/see something not normal happening and stop but in this case the corer has gone all the way through essentially costing YOU, the contractor, thousands of dollars in fixups.

Who should pay for the hit? Nearly every concrete scanning company will advise that once you have signed their docket you have also signed a “release of liability” on any incidents occurring when chasing or coring. This is because like stated earlier, GPR and concrete scanning is “Risk Reduction” s and not a “Risk Elimination” process. NOTE:This also comes down to the fact that salt water (fresh water can be penetrated” and steel are materials that the GPR cannot penetrate and can hide potential targets.

So realistically, the scanning company waives all rights to pay for damages. However, the real “industry leaders” who have very minimal hits, will offer some kind of reimbursement or if very expensive their Insurance to cover costs, as they know that this sometimes after all procedures have been followed, is unfortunately part of the GPR industry.

 

#5- Reporting- This last part of the process is very important and to have all the data accurately reported is essential to keeping the job running smoothly. If a company is offering “FREE” reporting and you have never used them yet I would ask for a sample report. A charge for reporting (unless you are their valued client of many years/jobs) is essential as the technician needs to get all of the findings correctly reported. An engineer will reject substandard reporting hence costing you more money to either get the report amended or engage another scanning contractor to complete the same job costing hundreds more than it should have.

Most of all do some research on the company you might be engaging. Their website should be full of information and capabilities of the company as well as the services that the company provides. Engaging the wrong company can leave a bad reputation for both the scanning company and yourself and can lead to injuries or even fatalities in the worst case scenario. Also remember that if companies are “cheap” when you ring around, it most probably mirrors their service and ability to provide you with the Quality end result.