DigSafe Contractor Awareness Breakfast in Lloydminster

It was a cool, blustery morning in the border City of Lloydminster, and the threat of rain hung in the air like a dagger, but that didn’t stop digging contractors from lining up at the Lloydminster Exhibition Grounds on April 27 for the Contractors’ Dig Safe Breakfast. All 90 that showed up at 7:00am were greeted by warm smiles from USP and SCGA volunteers as well as sponsors like ATCO Gas, Linestar Utility Supply and ASTEC Safety, whose owner Jeff Mulligan was the emcee of the festivities. All 21 sponsors of this event were well represented with tabletop pamphlets, door prizes and handouts.

This was the first Contractor Dig Safe Breakfast we’ve been able to have since 2019, and the turnout was very appreciative for this long-awaited face-to-face meeting. We were delighted to also have the honourable Mayor Gerald S. Aalbers in attendance, who was equally glad to acknowledge his constituents in person.

Jeff Mulligan from ASTEC Safety was the Master of Ceremonies, and started the breakfast off by welcoming everyone on behalf of Saskatchewan Common Ground Alliance and Utility Safety Partners. "The National Day of Mourning is April 28, and each year Canadians pay tribute to workers who were injured, or worse died, simply doing their job. Reason for all of us to take our next steps safely”, said Jeff.

There was plenty of reference material on each of the tables for the workers to take back to the office or truck, supplied by our 21 sponsors. TC Energy graciously supplied everyone with an "attendees’ package”, that included work gloves, information about working close to pipelines and assorted other goodies, as well as a few door prize items drawn from names on the registration list.

While we all enjoyed a hearty breakfast, the "Look Up & Live…Know What’s Below” played, followed by a few words from the presidents of the SCGA and USP, Derrick Mann and Mike Sullivan respectively. Jeff then introduced the 2022 video program, which have become synonymous with the Contractor Safe Digging Breakfast and the Dig Safe messaging. "The annual video is broken into smaller segments and is available for viewing or download on the SCGA YouTube Channel. They make great Safety or Tailgate Meeting material, can be linked to your social media, or played in kiosk settings.” Jeff encouraged everyone to visit the SCGA’s YouTube channel to view/download their library of safety videos. We then watched 3 videos from this year entitled "Abandoned Lines”, "Who Is Responsible” and the "Look Up & Live…Know What’s Below”. These are a great resource for any contractor and the videos are of top-notch quality.

The new ground disturbance course for youth and young adults aged 14 – 21 is offered at no cost, thanks to an innovative partnership between SCGA, Saskatchewan Safety Council and the Heavy Construction Safety Association of Saskatchewan. This online course provides orientation to new young employees, to introduce them to potential underground hazards as they head into the workforce.

We finished off the event with a round table discussion with three industry experts: Mike Woloski from ATCO, Erin Rodger from Sask 1st Call and OH&S Officer, Chad Parenteau. They each brought real life experiences to the forefront, and they answered many questions in a friendly yet professional atmosphere. Having a rep from OH&S was unique this year, and Chad’s insights were very impactful. His message was "Don’t Trust The Dirt” which is so simple, yet so true. He also stressed that OH&S is there to work with you.

Watch for future regional safety breakfasts at Utility Safety Partners and the Saskatchewan Common Ground Alliance where you can join us and learn more about working safely near utilities!

Gary Mason - Outside Sales/Damage Prevention Specialist Linestar Utility Supply Inc.