Grant Piraine
Feb 9, 2026
April 1st has always carried significance within the damage prevention community. It marks the beginning of Dig Safe Month and serves as a reminder that awareness, preparation, and responsibility remain critical to working safely around buried infrastructure.
This year, April 1 represents more than a reminder. It marks the culmination of years spent examining how ground disturbance risk is actually managed in practice, particularly on private property where formal systems often fall short.
Since its early days, Own Your Safety has focused on a simple but often overlooked principle: safety depends on understanding, not assumption. Over time, that principle has guided training development, damage investigations, and ongoing engagement with professionals across the industry.
As the training programs have evolved, so has the broader conversation around private locating, competency, and accountability. The next step reflects that evolution. It builds on what has already been learned, documented, and taught, while setting the stage for a more structured and informed approach to managing buried infrastructure risk.
More will be shared soon. For now, April 1 stands as a marker. Not of an idea that appeared overnight, but of work that has been years in the making.