Did you know that there’s a whole industry built around underground scanning? Maybe you’ve seen the commercials or ads for the 8-1-1 program that encourages property owners to call before they start excavating on their property. This is essentially a program that provides underground scanning services throughout the country for free to anyone who calls. It is funded largely by the utility companies to help prevent damages and injuries caused by hitting public utility lines during excavation.
But unfortunately, the 8-1-1 program has some limitations. Most notably, the service technicians that the program employs are only authorized to scan for public utility lines. Any private utility lines or other buried hazards are the responsibility of the property owner to locate.
The 8-1-1 program tends to give property owners a false sense of security. After having their property scanned by an 8-1-1 technician, property owners may think they have done all that they need to do with regard to underground scanning. They may not be advised that they should also have an additional, more thorough scan done of their property prior to excavating to be absolutely certain that there is nothing in the way that could be damaged.
Good general contractors will advise property owners if they think a second scan should be completed, but it is ultimately the property owner’s responsibility to ensure that the property is free from unseen hazards. They may also be liable for anyone who is injured during the course of excavation if they failed to locate all hazards.
A private company that does underground scanning in Ontario will likely do a much more thorough job of identifying hazards than the 8-1-1 service. The success of these types of companies depends heavily on their reputations, so they have a huge incentive to be thorough in their work!
When you need an underground scanning company in Ontario, look for one that uses ground penetrating radar (GPR) when they scan. This is the best technology for locating all types of buried hazards—both metallic and non-metallic. In certain circumstances the underground scanning company may recommend additional scanning methods, like if the GPR results are not 100% conclusive or if it’s a particularly high-stakes project. In these instances, the technician may bring in tools like electromagnetic frequency (EMF) transmitters and receivers, magnetometers, or pulse wave generators. All of these tools are safe to use and don’t require the ground to be disturbed at all in the process.
Many companies that complete underground scanning in Ontario have fast response times, so even if you find out at the last minute that you need to have an area scanned, it won’t delay your project much. However, the best approach is to have your property scanned for hazards long before you start excavating!