USP Industry Recognition Awards – Excavator of the Year

By Sher Kirk, Operations Director, Utility Safety Partners 

Last month, we posted an article announcing the new Utility Safety Partner Industry Recognition Awards. Over the next three months, we will introduce details about each of the three award categories — Excavator of the Year, Locator of the Year, and Member of the Year. This month’s focus is Excavator of the Year.

In late September, the following guidelines and nomination forms will be posted on UtilitySafety.ca and nominations will open in October:

Program Overview
Utility Safety Partners (USP) wants to recognize excavators in Alberta that represent the fundamental principles of safety, advocacy and participation that make up USP’s core values. Each year, USP will award the title of Excavator of the Year to one deserving recipient.

You may nominate a peer or industry colleague, an organization or you may self-nominate to be considered for the Excavator of the Year. Review the criteria below and if this sounds like you or someone you know, complete and submit the Nomination Form. Nominations are open between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. 

Criteria and Qualifications

Minimum Requirements

• Placed a minimum of 25 locate requests in the application year
• Be a USP Safety Partner Member in good standing (as an individual or as part of a member company)

Additional criteria

In addition to the minimum requirements, consideration will be given to the following:

• Internal Safety Culture and Safety Programs
• Ground Disturbance and other safety training
• Engagement with the excavation and damage prevention community 

USP Programs and Participation

• Registration in and use of the Alberta DIRT (Damage Information Reporting Tool)
• Participation on USP Committees
• Participation in industry events and webinars
• Facilitating or sponsoring public awareness programs or community events
• Social media presence and engagement with USP channels
• Promoting the Click Before You Dig process through advertising, fleet vehicle stickers, promotional items, etc.
• Building positive relationships within the digging and damage prevention community

The nomination form will include a free-form section where the nominator can enter reasons the candidate should be considered. We hope this encourages the inclusion of unique solutions or new approaches to safety and damage prevention that the nominee has implemented. If someone outside our visibility circle is doing something interesting or new, we want to be able to celebrate that and share the information with others to amplify the good work being done by our stakeholders.

Next month: Locator of the Year