Electroscan Team Profile # 3
Murray Yates
What’s your role in Electroscan?
Senior Utility Locator
What do you do at Electroscan?
Work with clients to locate underground utilities, this is a crucial step in every construction project. We work with our clients
so they can build their projects on time and within budget while ensuring they minimise disruption to the utilities of the surrounding neighbourhoods. Construction tasks like excavation and drilling always come with risks, through our extensive underground utility locating process, we help minimise these risks on each building project.
How long have you been in the industry?
I’ve been working in the industry for 12 years, with 8 years of experience as a utility locator.
What projects have you led?
- Moggill Rd & Coonan Street Interchange Upgrade
- Indooroopilly Gold Coast Light Rail Mermaid to Burleigh
What does a typical day look like?
I typically arrive on site by 7am and scope out the work area and plan the activities we’ll undertake for the day. This helps us update our clients, so they know what to expect from us each step of the way. Although each day is quite different depending on the client we are working with, we always ensure we do this to maintain excellent and consistent quality at each job.
What’s a common question you get from customers?
“Can you locate non-metallic cables or water pipes?”
There are dozens of underground utilities under each site and our clients want to have peace of mind, knowing we will detect all of them. At Electroscan we are always using the latest and most innovative technology for each job. Through tools like GPR or traceable rod, we make sure that all utility types, including non-metallic cables and water pipes are mapped in our reports for our clients.
What do you like most about your job?
Working with our clients is what I enjoy most about the work we do. There is such a great feeling seeing a satisfied client after a job, knowing the work you deliver has been completed safely and on-time.
Favourite memory from work?
The memory that stands out to me is the Friday afternoon drinks from the first week I joined Electroscan. I could tell that I had joined a great company as I was surrounded by a brilliant group of people who supported each other both within and outside of the workplace. The unbeatable culture at Electroscan keeps me excited to come into work each day and keeps attracting talented new people to join the team.
Funny work story?
When a new member of the team first started, he had to drive a tipper truck to one of our work sites. On his daily worksheet he had “Pick up Canter” listed, and he thought he had to pick up a colleague named Canter. It turned out that Canter was the model-name for the Tipper truck, leaving him with the nickname Canter which still sticks to this day, and us with a great story to tell.