Ask most project managers whether they’d rather skip utility locating altogether or hire a mediocre (but very affordable) underground scanning company, and most will say that a bad underground scan is better than no scan at all. Seems logical, right?
In reality, the answer is more complicated. In some cases, a poor scan is actually the more dangerous choice.
The Case Against No Scan
Skipping an underground scan is a gamble, and everyone involved knows it. However, crews who dig without any subsurface information tend to proceed with caution. They take things slowly, expect surprises, and stay alert near anything that looks suspicious. The risk is real, but it is understood.
But the risk is also enormous. Striking a gas line can cause explosions, evacuations, and, in the worst-case scenario, fatalities. Cutting a fiber-optic trunk can knock out service for thousands of customers. Hitting a high-voltage line can seriously injure or kill an operator. Even a “minor” strike on a water main can flood a site, undermine surrounding soil, and halt work for days. Add regulatory fines, repair costs, liability claims, and damage to your reputation, and a single incident can be extremely costly.
Relying only on 8-1-1 or as-built drawings isn’t the same as having a thorough underground scan performed, either. Public locating services typically mark only the public utilities they’re responsible for, and they often don’t identify private lines running to buildings, irrigation systems, or older abandoned infrastructure. As-built drawings are also frequently outdated or simply wrong.
The Case Against a Bad Scan
A poor scan can be even worse than no scan at all because it creates false confidence. When a report says an area is clear, crews may dig with less caution, and that is exactly when strikes can happen. The danger isn’t the missing data. It’s the trust placed in faulty or incomplete data.
Bad underground scanning can take several forms:
- Untrained operators. Interpreting ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data takes real skill and experience. Reflections from rebar, rocks, voids, and utilities can look alike, and an inexperienced technician can easily misinterpret them.
- The wrong tool for the conditions. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) performs differently in clay-heavy soil than in sand. Electromagnetic locators can detect conductive lines but may miss plastic pipes. A single-technology approach can leave major gaps.
- Inadequate coverage. Scanning in widely spaced lines instead of using a tight grid can cause narrow conduits to be missed entirely.
- Poor documentation. If findings aren’t accurately marked in the field or clearly recorded in a report, even good data can become useless.
- Outdated or poorly maintained equipment. Uncalibrated or low-quality equipment can produce unreliable results.
In each case, the client believes they’ve done their due diligence by hiring someone for underground scanning.
So, Which Is Worse?
Honestly, both are bad, but they fail in different ways. No scan means high risk with open eyes. A bad scan means high risk with a false sense of security. The real answer is that neither should be an option.
The best choice, of course, is to work with a skilled underground scanning company that has the proper tools and can provide the accurate results you need to safely complete your project—a company like Enhanced Scanning.
Working with Us for Underground Scanning
When you work with Enhanced Scanning, you get:
- Access to multiple technologies. Depending on the project, our technicians may use GPR, electromagnetic locating, and other methods to cross-check findings and account for each tool’s blind spots.
- Experienced, certified technicians. Our technicians are trained and have many years of field experience.
- Honesty about limitations. Our technicians will tell you when site conditions limit accuracy and recommend other verification methods or point out areas where you should proceed with added caution.
- Clear deliverables. You will receive detailed field markings, a written report, and/or a digital file you can share with your excavation crew.
- A proven track record. We have many satisfied customers, including companies that trust us again and again for their underground scanning needs.
Conclusion
The cost of a professional underground scan is a small fraction of the cost of a utility strike. But that value only exists when the scan is done right. An accurate scan gives your crew the information they need to dig safely.
If you’re planning excavation, drilling, or trenching, don’t settle for no scan or a questionable one. Work with a qualified team that treats subsurface investigation as the safety-critical task it is. Contact us to discuss your project or to schedule service. Our technicians service all of Southern California, as well as Central Colorado.