There are a lot of companies that will use fear as a selling tactic. They will tell you about all the bad things that will happen if you don’t buy their products or use their services. If you were to believe some of the fear-laden sales pitches out there, you might wonder how it is that you managed to survive as long as you have without purchasing whatever these companies are trying to sell!
At Enhanced Scanning, we’re not big on spreading fear, but we do like to live in reality. You might have heard about a construction worker hitting a gas line, which caused an explosion and burned down an entire house, or you may have seen a geyser of water spraying in your neighborhood when someone accidentally broke a buried water line. These types of occurrences probably seem extremely rare to you, but being in the industry we are in, we hear about them a lot more than the average person and know how common they actually are. We also hear a lot about projects coming to a standstill when a contractor comes across something embedded in concrete that they didn’t expect. We hear about them because we are the ones that get the emergency calls to come out to conduct concrete scanning services so the project can get back on track.
Experienced contractors tend to understand the importance of concrete scanning, but some newer ones haven’t yet come face to face with the potential hazards embedded in concrete. For those wondering, “What will happen if I just drill or cut into a concrete slab without having a concrete slab scanned first?” we’ll tell you.
In the best-case scenario, everything is just fine. Nothing is hit or even nicked. No pipes or utility lines are hit, and no structural elements in the concrete are damaged. The project proceeds as planned and everyone goes home at the end of the day. The worst-case scenario can look much different, however. Hitting a post-tension cable in a concrete slab is probably one of the most dangerous scenarios. The cable can snap, and if it hits someone, it will almost certainly cause severe injury—or even death.
Now, the worst-case scenario isn’t likely to happen. What is more likely to happen is something far less serious, but still upsetting. You could hit a utility line, which could cause expensive damage. The project could come to halt while you have to call a subcontractor to make the repair. You could also potentially hit rebar. When this happens, not only will you need to find another place to drill or cut, but you will also need to make sure that you didn’t compromise the integrity of the concrete slab. Not to mention, hitting rebar could damage your equipment.
If we were going to give contractors advice based on our experience, it would be to not just “hope for the best” when disturbing a concrete slab. The smart approach is a cautious one, which involves calling in a concrete scanning service like Enhance Scanning. Our team can come to your site with our scanning equipment and provide you with all the information you need to safely proceed.
Contact us today to schedule your concrete scanning service.
The post What’s the Worst That Can Happen If You Don’t Use Concrete Scanning Services for Your Construction Project? appeared first on Enhanced Scanning.