Grant Piraine
Apr 1, 2018
April 1, 2018 carries particular significance within the damage prevention community. Introduced during Dig Safe Month, Own Your Safety launches Utility Infrastructure Awareness online, its first formal training program focused on helping workers better understand buried infrastructure risk before ground disturbance begins.
While Own Your Safety has already been active in consulting and field support, the launch of this course marks a shift toward structured education. The intent is to translate real-world experience, damage investigations, and industry observations into practical guidance for those working near buried utility infrastructure.
At present, much of the industry emphasis remains focused on process. Locate requests are submitted, marks are placed, and compliance is often treated as the primary indicator of safety. Field experience, however, continues to demonstrate that incidents still occur even when procedures are followed, particularly where locate information is misunderstood or relied upon without verification.
Utility Infrastructure Awareness was developed to address that disconnect. The course focuses on helping participants understand what locate information represents, where its limitations exist, and how risk increases when assumptions replace situational awareness. Particular attention is given to private property, where buried infrastructure is often undocumented, inconsistently located, or incorrectly assumed to fall under public locate systems.
From the outset, the program emphasizes that locate marks and reports are inputs, not guarantees. Understanding how infrastructure is installed, how locating signals behave, and when information does not align with site conditions is positioned as essential to safe decision-making in the field.
With the launch of Utility Infrastructure Awareness, education becomes a central tool for addressing buried utility infrastructure risk. This course establishes the foundation for ongoing training development and a broader effort to improve how ground disturbance safety is understood and managed.