Grant Piraine
Jun 1, 2018
OWN Your Safety president Grant Piraine recently spoke with Daily Commercial News about the growing need for dedicated utility infrastructure awareness education within the ground disturbance industry.
While many workers and organizations are familiar with the phrase “call before you dig,” Piraine emphasizes that preventing incidents requires more than submitting a locate request. Understanding what locate information represents, how to interpret markings on the ground, and recognizing the limitations of the locate process are critical to working safely around buried infrastructure.
“When it comes to underground utility infrastructure, it’s about knowing before you dig,” says Piraine. “It’s knowing how to interpret locate reports and markings, understanding your site and surroundings, and having a clear picture of what may be buried in the ground even before you call.”
Own Your Safety Inc. provides Utility Infrastructure Awareness education and training specifically focused on helping workers, supervisors, and organizations better understand the risks associated with excavation and drilling activities. The training is designed to support informed decision-making before ground disturbance begins, rather than relying solely on procedural compliance.
Piraine stresses that safety cannot be delegated entirely to systems, paperwork, or third parties.
“Do not put your life in someone else’s hands,” he says. “Take ownership of your own safety and understand what you’re doing, not just because you’ve been told to follow a set of rules, but because you want to. For yourself, your family, your employer, the general public, and the people around you.”
Having worked in the excavation and utility locating industry since the 1990s, Piraine has firsthand experience with the consequences of insufficient awareness and training. His career has included excavation, drilling, private utility locating, and consulting, giving him insight into the challenges faced by workers across multiple disciplines.
According to Piraine, the industry’s increasing focus on compliance and regulation has not eliminated risk, particularly when workers lack the knowledge to question information that does not make sense in the field.
“Understanding the locate process, recognizing above-ground utility indicators, and knowing when to stop work are essential skills,” he explains. “Without that understanding, workers are still exposed to serious risk, even when locates have been requested and completed.”
Own Your Safety continues to advocate for education that goes beyond basic awareness, helping organizations build stronger safety cultures and reduce incidents associated with buried utility infrastructure.
Read the Original Article
The original Daily Commercial News article can be read here: https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/ohs/2018/06/company-encourages-industry-know-safety-dig