Endorsed Ground Disturbance Training & Certificates

Endorsed Ground Disturbance Training & Certificates

The unification of Alberta One-Call and the Alberta Common Ground Alliance has been a very positive one for both organizations. It has also been a progressive change for the Training Standards Committee, as it has enhanced not only the awareness of the committee and its Ground Disturbance training Standards, but also has increased productivity within the committee. However, it’s important to understand that USP endorsed ground disturbance tickets should be recognized and accepted on the same level as ABCGA tickets were in the past. We will continue to see ABCGA endorsed training tickets in the field for a couple of years yet, but as those workers get re-certified every three years, we will gradually see those ABCGA logos phased out and replaced with USP logos.  

In addition, USP and the Training Standards Committee have seen a significant uptick in the amount of fraudulent Ground Disturbance courses on the market, misleading learners to believe that they are receiving endorsed training, when in fact, they are not. There are actually only a handful of training providers in Western Canada who have put their ground disturbance training programs through the rigorous endorsement process and are endorsed to one or more of the Ground Disturbance 201 Standards, be it the Alberta, BC or Manitoba versions.  The full list of endorsed training providers can be found on USP’s website. If you or your employees have taken their training from any of these providers, you can feel confident in knowing that they were indeed trained to the Ground Disturbance 201 Standard. If you are still questioning whether or not a particular course is endorsed, or are a training provider looking to have your program endorsed, please email tscadmin@utilitysafety.ca at any time for further information.

Michelle Finnigan - Administrator - Training Standards Committee