USP Industry Recognition Awards 

By Sher Kirk – Operations Director, Utility Safety Partners 

Utility Safety Partners is pleased to announce that we are introducing annual recognition awards to bring attention to those stakeholders who go above and beyond every day to elevate safety, to promote safe excavation and who build constructive relationships around the belief that safety is everyone’s responsibility. The awards will be given out annually in the categories of Excavator of the Year, Locator of the Year, and Member of the Year. Winners may qualify as individuals or as organizations. Excavator of the Year will be awarded in three categories of organization – Small Organization or Individual, Mid-sized Organization and Large Organization. 

Criteria for each award will be posted on the USP website for review and nomination submission forms will be available for download. Nominations or submissions for consideration will be accepted between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 each calendar year. Those who wish to be considered for a recognition award, and who meet the published criteria, may self-nominate or may be nominated by a peer or other industry stakeholder. We plan to announce our first winners in February 2024 at our 40th Anniversary Celebration and Symposium in Banff. 

Submissions will be screened and scored against a matrix, which assigns weighted scores for every criterion the nominee meets. Part of the screening process may include evaluation of a submitted essay that describes how the nominee embodies the USP fundamental principles of safety, advocacy and participation. A screening committee will identify three to five finalists in each category, then those finalist nominations will be turned over to category selection committees, made up of USP members who are peers and subject matter experts in each of the award categories. Once the selection committees have chosen their award recipients, the USP board will have final approval of the year’s selections.

The program will roll out officially by the end of this summer. We will be posting articles in the next few newsletters and providing links on USP social media accounts (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook) outlining the criteria for each of the award categories. We encourage you to think about how someone you work with in the industry deserves recognition for their efforts to enhance safety every day. We are looking forward to shining a light on some of the great people in our industry!