Underground mapping News & views

Having been a verified and audited member of Achilles UVDB and Verify for many years, utilising the database for business relations and possible sales leads, Geotec Surveys have now extended their involvement with Achilles by joining their Link-up Railway focused qualification scheme.

Geotec have prided themselves on successfully working with major projects in the Rail sector since the companies earliest days, and with more specialist Underground Mapping tools becoming accredited with by Network Rail, the time is right for the company to seek more work and offer a wider variety of subsurface and above ground surveying solutions to this key infrastructure in the UK. 

With dedicated rail trained and PTS qualified surveyors who have many years experience of rail work, it felt right that these skills and the benefits of mapping underground utilities, features and geophysical details, should be promoted via Link-up’s industry focused database. 

Geotec Surveys already had the background qualifications and proven systems that have been measured and scored over many years via Achilles to build upon to ensure a smooth up lift onto the enhanced Rail sector specialist system.  The qualification process was actually quite straight forward, and as Nicholas Grant, General Manager of Geotec surveys comments; “ Our management systems and controls are under continuous review as we aim to achieve the highest quality and safety controls possible, and being ISO 9001 : 2008 accredited along with the annual Achilles Verify audits, we knew were already well along the path  to satisfying the Link-up reviewers and become accepted and registered with them ”. 

Time alone will tell if the added focus into the Rail sector reaps the rewards expected, but it certainly allows Geotec to showcase their underground mapping solutions to a targeted rail audience who will benefit from the ability to pre-plan their vital works more safely and efficiently knowing the secrets on the underground have been revealed before planning their works.

Utilising Geotec Surveys specialist techniques in combination with other HSG 47 procedures and CDM controls will give the rail industry more safeguards and improved project management and foresight than possibly existed in the past.