Going Above and Beyond- Stories From Reveal’s Field Services Team
Nearly every construction and project site in New Zealand has issues with unknown underground utilities and lack of accessible information on the subsurface.
As New Zealand’s innovative underground experts, Reveal is dedicated to working closely with our customers to identify potential issues and explain how to apply best-practice Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) methods to their projects to avoid the risk of utility strikes, project delays, and cost blowouts.
Frequently, the first time asset owners realise they lack accurate data on their infrastructure is when an asset fails or requires replacement. Over the years, the Reveal team has been engaged to help at several sites across the country, from during routine maintenance and construction to emergency response. This article explores case studies from across New Zealand where our team have gone above and beyond to deliver results for customers.
The field services team at Reveal 2024.
Case #1 From Disaster to Relief: Contractor's Close Call Averted by Looking Deeper
While surveying on a large project site, where a contractor had already exposed sewer pipes near one of the main buildings, the Reveal team made a critical discovery. There was the presence of a power cable detected in the same area as the sewer pipe.
At first glance, there was no visible power cable on the site, as the sewer pipe had already been exposed. However, upon closer investigation, we found that the power cable was actually running inside the sewer pipe itself. With the contractor poised to start cutting through the sewer, the consequences could have been catastrophic, as the contractor was at risk of electrocution, resulting in serious injury or even death. Not only would this have been a devastating tragedy, but it would have also led to significant setbacks in the project, requiring substantial resources and time for recovery.
Through detecting the danger and alerting the contractor, we ensured that proper precautions were taken to avoid any accidents. This experience serves as a stark reminder of the importance of thorough utility survey investigation on a job site to protect the safety of everyone involved.
Case #2: Underground Heroes: Reveal Assists in Cyclone Cleanup Operations
In February 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand devastating the Hastings district, with mass flooding causing the area’s power utilities to be shut down to protect the network. After the storm dozens of entities from local government, volunteer and private organisations combined efforts to get the region running again, enlisting all able bodies to pitch in with the cleanup efforts. However, this also meant there were a lot of people with little experience of utilities or power stations, excavating the silt build up - increasing the risks of hitting underground utilities, as any pre-storm above ground features were unrecognizable.
The flooding had washed away the insulating basalt covering the power network, removing the safety layer that reduces the conductivity between the network and the surface, leaving it vulnerable to potential damage. Reveal was tasked with conducting a thorough locate and mark-out of the site. This was to ensure that all onsite digging crews were well-informed about the presence and risks of the buried utilities during debris excavation.
This work not only saved valuable time and resources, reducing the risk of further site damage, but also ensured the safety of all involved in the post-cyclone cleanup.
Post Cyclone Gabrielle clean up at Whirinaki power station
Case #3 Uncovering Hidden Threats: How Reveal Helped Wellington Harbour Navigate Earthquake Damage
In 2016, the Kaikōura earthquake affected the structural integrity of Wellington Harbour, causing liquefaction, ground cracking and the raising and sinking of site areas. Due to the proximity of the harbour to the water and torrential rain events around the time, the liquefaction of the soil under the asphalt had caused several voids to open. This caused major operational concerns due to the heavy machinery used throughout the site that risked falling into the hidden voids.
Reveal was engaged to undertake GPR surveys of the site to analyse and identify the location and size of the voids. As this work was critical to the harbour’s ability to reopen, the Reveal team worked round the clock for two weeks, collecting data during the day and processing it overnight, ready for reporting the following day. The whole site was covered section by section, and invasive testing was initiated to confirm the extent of voids detected and evaluate the repair work required.
The dedication of the Reveal team enabled the harbour to reestablish operations within one month of the earthquake, without any major events, injury, or significant loss of income.
The damage caused to Wellington harbour in the aftermath of the Kaikoura earthquakes in 2016