Foreword

This PAS was sponsored by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). Its development was facilitated by BSI Standards Limited and it was published under licence from The British Standards Institution. It came into effect on 30 April 2022.

Acknowledgement is given to George Tuckwell (RSK) and Andy Rhoades (Buried Asset Protection Consultancy Ltd) as the technical authors, with contributions from Sam Roberts (Met Geo Environmental Ltd).

Acknowledgement is also given to the following organizations that were involved in the development of this PAS as members of the steering group:

• Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES)
• EuroGPR
• Ordnance Survey
• The Geological Society
• The Survey Association
• Transport for London
• University of Birmingham
• Co-opted members

The following funders of this PAS are also acknowledged:

• Atkins Limited
• Catsurveys Ltd
• Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES)
• IDS GeoRadar
• Leica Geosystems
• LinesearchbeforeUdig Ltd
• Macleod Simmonds Ltd
• Malcolm Hughes Land Surveyors
• Met Geo Environmental Ltd
• MK Surveys
• James Lewis (PAS 128 Consulting)
• Premier Energy Services Ltd
• RSK Group Ltd
• Nicholas Zembillas (Subsurface Utility Engineering)
• The Survey Association
• Utility Mapping Group UK Ltd

Acknowledgement is also given to the members of a wider review panel who were consulted in the development of this PAS.

The British Standards Institution retains ownership and copyright of this PAS. BSI Standards Limited as the publisher of the PAS reserves the right to withdraw or amend this PAS on receipt of authoritative advice that it is appropriate to do so. This PAS will be reviewed at intervals not exceeding two years.

This PAS is not to be regarded as a British Standard. It will be withdrawn in the event it is superseded by a British Standard.

The PAS process enables a speciﬁcation to be rapidly developed in order to fulﬁl an immediate need in industry. A PAS can be considered for further development as a British Standard, or constitute part of the UK input into the development of a European or International Standard.

Supersession

This PAS supersedes PAS 128:2014, which is withdrawn.

Information about this document

This is a full revision of the PAS, and introduces the following principal changes:

• addition of guidance on training and qualiﬁcations of practitioners (Clause 4);
• updates to the application of post-processing in detection surveys (Table 2);
• new speciﬁcation for buried utility detection and avoidance to support on-site permit to break ground (Annex A);
• new guidance on the accuracy of detection methods (Annex C); and
• new guidance on the technical factors that dictate the effort required for a detection survey (Annex D).

Acknowledgement is given to the following who were involved in the development of the previous edition of this PAS: Ian Bush (Black & Veatch, ICE, ICES) as the technical lead and Peter Barker (SUMO Services Ltd, The Survey Association), John Robinson (Subscan Technology Ltd) and Nick Zembillas (Subsurface Utility Engineering LLC) as the drafting panel.

This publication can be withdrawn, revised, partially superseded or superseded. Information regarding the status of this publication can be found in the Standards Catalogue on the BSI website at bsigroup.com/ standards, or by contacting the Customer Services team.

Where websites and webpages have been cited, they are provided for ease of reference and are correct at the time of publication. The location of a webpage or website, or its contents, cannot be guaranteed.

Hazard warnings

WARNING 1. This PAS calls for the use of procedures that can be injurious to health if adequate precautions are not taken. It refers only to technical suitability and does not absolve the user from legal obligations relating to health and safety at any stage.

WARNING 2. For all excavations, assume that underground utilities are present and act accordingly. To avoid buried services effectively it is necessary to positively identify and locate the services that are present. Attention is drawn to laws, rules and regulations applicable to vacuum excavating or hand digging near or atop dangerous utilities such as electric, gas, fuel or petroleum. Attention is drawn to HSE’s publication, Avoiding danger from underground services (HSG47) [1]. Annex A sets out the application of this speciﬁcation to the detection, location and avoidance of buried services in support of excavations and intrusive ground investigations.

WARNING 3. This PAS refers to physical entry into conﬁned spaces, which is not to be attempted without suitably trained operatives and safety equipment. Attention is drawn to HSE’s publication, Conﬁned spaces – A brief guide to working safely (INDG258) [2].

Use of this document

It has been assumed in the preparation of this PAS that the execution of its provisions will be entrusted to appropriately qualiﬁed and experienced people, for whose use it has been produced.

Presentational conventions

The provisions of this PAS are presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Its requirements are expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is “shall”.

Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented in smaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative element.

Requirements in this PAS are drafted in accordance with Rules for the structure and drafting of UK standards:2017, subclause G.1.1, which states, “Requirements should be expressed using wording such as: ‘When tested as described in Annex A, the product shall ...’”. This means that only those products that are capable of passing the speciﬁed test will be deemed to conform to this PAS.

Where words have alternative spellings, the preferred spelling of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is used (e.g. “organization” rather than “organisation”).

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a PAS cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

PAS 128:2022

PAS 128 Underground utility detection, verification and location. Specification

Current

Published:

30 Apr 2022