Avoiding Utility Strikes: How a Survey Can Save Thousands
When you’re managing a construction site, the last thing you want is to stop work because someone hit an underground cable or pipe. It sounds like the kind of thing that only happens when people cut corners, but in reality, it happens more often than you'd think – and it can cost a fortune.
That’s where a utility survey comes in. If you're running highways or infrastructure projects across Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk or Norfolk, here's what you need to know.
Utility survey plans and cable marker at a construction site – highlighting the importance of locating underground services before breaking ground.
What Is a Utility Survey?
A utility survey maps the buried services under your construction site, such as electric cables, gas mains, water pipes, fibre optics, and drainage.
We use PAS 128-compliant methods to locate and mark these services before a shovel or digger goes in. PAS 128 is the UK standard for underground utility detection, and it sets the framework for how accurate and reliable your survey will be.
Why Utility Strikes Are So Expensive
Let’s say a digger hits a high-voltage cable or a gas main. The project could be delayed for days while the area is made safe and the damage is repaired. On top of that, you're dealing with emergency call-out fees, damage claims, and possibly even HSE investigations.
In some cases, a single strike can cost over £100,000, not to mention the risk to your team’s safety and your company’s reputation.
How We Detect What’s Below
Our engineers use a combination of Electromagnetic Location (EML) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to detect underground utilities.
EML is ideal for tracing metallic pipes and cables
GPR picks up non-metallic items like plastic water mains or ducts
We also compare findings with existing utility records, which are rarely 100% reliable. A physical site survey is so important, especially on highways or civils jobs with tight margins and deadlines.
What PAS 128 Actually Means
You’ll often see PAS 128 survey levels like Type B or Type D in client specs – but what do they mean?
Type D: Based on existing records only – not reliable for construction
Type C: Desk study with a site inspection
Type B: Detection survey using tools like GPR and EML – this is the standard most clients should request
Type A: Verification by physical excavation or exposure
For pre-construction planning, a Type B survey is the sweet spot – balancing accuracy with cost and time. We recommend all our clients request this at a minimum before breaking ground.
Why It Matters for Highways Projects
On highways projects, you often work next to live services – power, traffic signals, telecoms – and there’s no room for error. A missed cable can shut down an entire junction or cause a public safety risk.
Our utility surveys support setting out engineers by marking up buried services clearly so that dig plans and machine control models are based on accurate, up-to-date information. No guesswork. No avoidable delays.
Save Now or Pay Later
Skipping a utility survey might seem like a quick win on cost, but it’s a gamble that rarely pays off.
Instead, make it part of your site planning checklist.
✅ Safer site setup
✅ Fewer design changes
✅ Fewer utility clashes
✅ Better communication between groundworkers, engineers, and machine operators
For more on planning safe groundwork, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has a good guide on avoiding danger from underground services
Talk to AKN Engineering
We’ve supported contractors across the East of England with utility detection, setting out, and topo surveys – and highways is where we’re most at home.
Let's talk if you’ve got a project coming up and want to keep it moving safely and smoothly.
Call us today on 01279 927 134
📍 Based in Hertfordshire
🛠 Supporting highways and infrastructure jobs in Cambridge, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent & London