What Is Cat and Genny Training?

A CAT — Cable Avoidance Tool — is a handheld device used to detect the signals emitted by or passed through underground cables, pipes, and other buried services. A Genny — short for Signal Generator — is used alongside the CAT to actively apply a signal to a specific service so it can be traced and located more precisely.

Together, the two tools allow workers to build a picture of what is buried beneath the ground before any digging starts, significantly reducing the risk of striking a live cable, gas pipe, or water main.

Cat and Genny training teaches candidates how to correctly set up, operate, and interpret the output of both devices. This includes understanding the different detection modes (power, radio, and signal), how to use the Genny to apply a signal to services, and how to interpret signal strength readings to identify the likely position and depth of buried services.

The training also covers the limitations of the equipment — no detection tool provides a guarantee that all services have been found — and the importance of combining equipment use with utility plans and visual checks.

Safe digging practices and what to do if a service is struck are also covered as part of the course.

Anyone who carries out or supervises excavation work where buried services may be present should have Cat and Genny training. This is particularly relevant in the utilities and streetworks sector, where excavations regularly take place in areas with dense underground infrastructure.

Many principal contractors and utility companies require all operatives involved in excavation to hold a Cat and Genny certificate before being permitted to break ground.

The training is relevant beyond streetworks too — it is widely used in construction, civil engineering, and facilities management wherever excavation is involved.

Cat and Genny training combines classroom instruction with practical exercises. Candidates must demonstrate that they can safely and correctly operate the equipment and apply the correct procedures before excavating.

Assessment is typically conducted on the day of training and candidates who pass receive a certificate confirming their competency.

Apollo QA delivers Cat and Genny training at our East Midlands training centres. The course is a single day and is available as a standalone booking.

Cat and Genny training is closely associated with streetworks but is technically a separate competency from NRSWA accreditation. It does not form part of the NRSWA unit framework.

That said, most utility contractors expect their operatives to hold both NRSWA accreditation and a Cat and Genny certificate, and the two are routinely trained together or in combination.