About Us
Own Your Safety™ was created to address a critical gap in ground disturbance safety. For decades, the industry has focused on procedures and compliance while overlooking a deeper issue: how people think about underground risk.
Our work is centered on shifting mindsets. We help individuals and organizations move beyond a task-based view of safety toward a clearer understanding of how underground risk is identified, evaluated, and managed before work begins.
Our training programs and consulting services are designed to meet the diverse challenges of public and private utility work across Canada and the United States.
Safety is the Foundation of Everything We Do!
Our Mission
At Own Your Safety™, our mission is to deliver industry-leading safety training and consulting solutions for those involved in excavation and utility infrastructure work.
We empower clients to take ownership of their safety by offering specialized education, expert analysis, and investigative services, helping workers and organizations KNOW what’s underground before they dig.
KNOW Before You Dig! ™
Grant Piraine C.E.T., DPT, ULT
Founder & President, Own Your Safety Inc. and Own Your Safety, LLC
Grant Piraine is one of North America’s recognized experts in buried utility infrastructure safety, excavation risk management, and damage investigation involving underground facilities. With over 36 years of industry experience, Grant has dedicated his career to preventing underground strikes, improving excavation safety, and educating professionals across Canada and the United States.
As the author and instructor behind the Know Before You Dig™ Training Program, Grant created the first North American curriculum designed to help workers and managers confidently identify and verify public and private utilities before breaking ground. He has also developed comprehensive training for Utility Locate Technicians (ULT), incorporating real-world utility mapping techniques, risk analysis, and region specific best practices.
Grant has personally:
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Founded and operated private utility locate firms in both Canada and the United States.
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Consulted on hundreds of damage investigations, providing expert analysis, locate reviews, and forensic support in legal and insurance matters.
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Delivered expert witness testimony and authored industry guidelines for locating near sewer infrastructure, underground tanks, and unlocatable facilities.
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Led field and classroom-based training for locate technicians, engineers, and excavation teams.
A passionate advocate for damage prevention, Grant launched the Green Hand Program to mentor new workers entering the industry and has been a guest lecturer at over a dozen colleges and universities.
He is the recipient of the Jim Douglas Award of Excellence in Damage Prevention awarded by the ORCGA in 2018 and remains an active contributor to professional alliances across North America. His work has influenced best practices for excavation safety, locate risk management, and underground utility infrastructure awareness.
Grant continues to publish safety insights, legal commentary, and best practice guides through his Know Before You Dig™ blog and training manuals used by industry professionals and safety trainers throughout North America.