Overhead Assets Pilot Project Ends – What’s Next?

Sher Kirk - Operations Director - Utility Safety Partners

Between November 2023 and the end of 2024, USP ran a pilot project with some of our asset-owner members who operate overhead utilities. After analyzing the results of the pilot, the asset owners determined that they would not continue the pilot in 2025.

During the pilot, if an overhead asset was registered in the vicinity of the dig area on a locate request, an auto-reminder was sent directly to the excavator to alert them to the presence of the overhead line. The information sent to the excavator was a real-time reminder to excavators on the site to make a plan to work safely around the dangers above them. The information sheet contained basic information about working around power lines and provided contact information for the owner if more information or an orientation was required. Having the information on site gave excavators a tool for having a safety discussion with their teams about Look Up and Live.

After running the program for a year, the participating Overhead Assets operators met to discuss the pilot outcomes. Their key takeaways were:

1. They experienced an increase in the number of calls from excavators with questions about overhead lines. This was generally accepted to be a positive outcome for the pilot.
2. There were no significant reductions to contacts with overhead lines during the pilot. The consensus of the group was there could have been more impact if the messaging reached farm workers and others who work around overhead utilities but are not necessarily digging and therefore not placing locate requests.
3. Some asset owners made operational changes to include overhead asset reminders in their responses to underground locate requests. If all overhead asset owners adopted this practice, the auto-response becomes redundant. This has potential to become a new practice and we’ll bring it to the USP Best Practice Committee for consideration.
4. The Overhead Assets group decided to launch the Look Up and Live App in 2025 as an alternative means of spreading awareness.

USP accepted the group consensus and terminated the auto-response communication to excavators. We will be continuing our efforts to keep workers safe and reduce contacts with overhead lines by fully supporting and promoting the new Look Up and Live Alberta app—coming soon to an app store near you!

Our thanks to the asset owners who participated in the pilot project:

ATCO Electric, FortisAlberta, ENMAX Corporation, City of Medicine Hat, City of Lethbridge