There are several reasons why companies choose Abaxa to carry out a utility survey.
- Our state-of-the-art equipment allows us to deliver accurate information
- We have extensive experience working on WA’s largest civil projects
- Abaxa has the largest number of technical experts in one company
Having access to the best equipment and expert technicians is great but for our clients, they consider our track record and reliability as our most valuable assets.
It’s why we’ve been called on to complete tens of thousands of utility survey projects – completed without utility strikes or project delays. Abaxa understands your project pressures and is happy to join you in the trenches to prioritise your safety, your project timeline and your budget.
Did you know engaging Abaxa in early-stage planning can save up to 82% in project costs?
step 1
Plan to avoid project costs
By engaging Abaxa to locate and survey all utilities on your project to Quality Level A (AS5488) you can eliminate avoidable costs, time delays, and project interruptions.
Consider the evidence:
A 1999 study by Purdue University indicated that for every $1.00 spent with a subsurface utility engineering service, $4.62 quantifiable project dollars were saved.
(Source: Cost Savings On Highway Projects Utilizing Subsurface Utility Engineering, Purdue University, 1999)
This is possible because the practice delivers the exact location of virtually all utilities and allows these utilities to be accurately shown on all construction sites.
Abaxa’s Utility Survey to AS5488 will allow accurate planning, budget allocation and delivery of your project.
We work with you from planning right through to construction. In doing this, our clients have eradicated many of the utility problems typically encountered on construction projects.
You too could save the incalculable costs of redesign when an original design suffers a utility conflict and prohibits construction from proceeding.
step 2
Plan to maintain safety first
It is possible to guarantee safety on-site by designing with real-time information. We deliver this information using subsurface utility engineering of high-profile utilities within the project parameters.
Excavation can then be directed away from existing utilities, significantly reducing the risk of infrastructure damage. This helps you minimise exposure to any personal injury, property damage or the release of unsafe substances into the environment.
step 3
Plan to minimise project risk
You can manage your project risk by selecting between four different quality levels of utility depiction. These quality service levels are assigned within the subsurface utility engineering process.
A work plan package can be drawn up consisting of:
- Scope of work
- Level of service vs risk allocation
- Project schedule
Desired project delivery method
A work plan package can be drawn up consisting of a scope of work, level of service vs risk allocation, project schedule and desired project delivery method.
Contact Abaxa for a proposal to designate, locate and provide utility data management with survey to AS5488 to conduct conflict analysis, saving you time and money on your next project.
What features can you expect from the Utility Survey?
A picture tells a thousand words. A quality Utility Survey from an experienced and accredited provider makes the invisible subsurface features visible. This allows you to design your project and manage a permit to work system with confidence where there is active excavation and construction.
Not to be confused with underground utility locating, utility surveying is the process of collating all the on-site locating data and producing a coordinated survey to the client’s desired project grid – which is then displayed as a 3D AutoCAD file.
This data can be used to identify potential clashes with new construction and existing infrastructure. All point elevations are recorded to AHD (Australia Height datum) and distance can be determined by a single click in AutoCAD. It makes designing and managing projects much easier compared with traditional 2D plans which are not coordinated or to scale.
In addition to locating services, we have also provided a service option to complete a Survey of Utilities Located in the area we discussed.
- As Located Plan Sketch (Standard Service Inclusion) – See Sample Report
- Survey Plan PDF (Utility Survey Option to AS5488) – See Sample Report
- Survey Plan PDF – Internal Sample (Utility Survey Option to AS5488) – See Sample Report
The Utility Survey produced by Abaxa features the following…
- Survey pickup to your specified Coordinate System, PCG 94, MGA zone 50, etc.
- Survey Coordinates in the form of a DWG. file derived from the latest AutoCAD Civil 3D program.
- Survey Coordinates overlaid onto High Resolution Nearmap Imagery (see sample for reference) OR
- The option to overlay a feature survey provided by you (the client document)
Additional and optional features items include:
- The option to include Main Roads Genio file.
- The option to use the client’s survey design codes and guidelines e.g. MRIA coding system, BMD coding system, City of Perth coding system, Watercorp coding system.
- The option for us to provide a basic feature survey.
What is AS 5488?
Standards play a key role in the utility sector, acting as a best practice indicator and providing a quality framework for safety, equipment, and service. AS 5488, is the standard to describe Classification of Subsurface Utility Information launched in 2013 and has recently been upgraded in 2019 to align with global standards, providing faster, safer and more cost-effective processes for the management of subsurface utilities.
Its objective is to ensure:
- Minimal impact on existing utilities
- Accurate information to reduce risk
- Low incidence of costly infrastructure damage
- Greater public safety
- Decreased cost and greater efficiency
Safety and reliability, along with cost and strike-risk reduction are of key importance to any construction project. AS 5488 maps out best practices to enable subsurface operators to consistently achieve this.
AS5488 provides significant benefits from its initial first release in 2013. The new update in 2019 is composed of 2 parts, Part 1 Subsurface utility information and Part 2 Subsurface utility engineering.
Part 1
“Subsurface Utility Information” has been updated based on feedback from the industry and relevant bodies who used the standard. There is a focus on attribute information and metadata as this has been proven quite useful in transferring information gathered in the field by surveyors and locators to designers, engineers and stakeholder who are recipient of these data. This part of the standard provides the framework for the classification of subsurface utility location and attributes information in terms of specified quality levels for the management of sub surface utilities.
Part 2
“Subsurface Utility Engineering Information” has been created to provide a framework for consistent engineering management of subsurface utility information. It is designed to provide and aid engineers, designers etc have a better understanding and use of the information surrounding utilities. The application of the standard and the establishment of a credible approach to the gathering and management of subsurface utilities will improve the critical items of time, cost, quality and safety, and reduce risk across projects including subsurface utilities as noted on the preface of the said update.
There are varying levels of Quality for Sub-Surface Information from Quality Level D to Quality Level A – Abaxa recommend to consult on reducing asset risk early on your project and have created a propriety “3 Degrees of Safety System” guide our clients to low risk and preventing utility strikes on all projects to protect people and infrastructure and keep projects moving.
To book a project discovery meeting to understand your Utility Risks and how to proceed, simply contact us at 1300 369 642.
Why Choose Abaxa?
Our technology is world class, as is our service quality and reliability. We care as much as you do that your project keeps moving, stay on time, on budget and with a thorough risk assessment to manage your Duty of Care at all times.
To confirm your choice to go ahead with our Utility Survey services or schedule a project discovery meeting, simply contact us at 1300 369 642.
You can trust Abaxa to be there on time and reduce asset risk on your project.
