USP Operations Year in Review 2023

By Sher Kirk - Operations Director - Utility Safety Partners

As the calendar rolled over into another year, I had a chance to review USP’s activity in 2023 while we plan and gear up for new challenges in 2024. We will soon release a year-end report for stakeholders, and here are some of the highlights.

Q1 

• Unveiled a new performance management program for the contact centre to increase support for agents on the front lines.
• Welcomed eight new agents to the USP family. Promoted member liaison Kassi Zaba into the new public awareness coordinator role and Kyle Huhn into the new auality control supervisor role.
• Introduced the Orphaned Wells notifications program to give excavators awareness and guidelines for safe excavation when an orphaned facility is in their dig area.
• USP processed its 10 millionth ticket.
• USP hosted a successful Safety Conference in Red Deer, the first under our new name.

Q2

• The digging season got off to a challenging start during the Alberta Wildfire Emergency and a Manitoba Hydro strike.
• Saskatchewan 1st Call sold to Saskatchewan Common Ground Alliance, who retains USP as the notification service provider.
• 2024 Business Plan is built and approved by the USP board of directors.
• USP committed to a remote workforce and officially gave up its office space. There was a smooth transition of servers to a data centre and all assets move to off-site storage.
• Pelican NextGen first release is provided to our technical administrator for testing after months of development meetings.
• USP migrates documentation to our newly-built Sharepoint site.
• Before You Dig Partners (Business Rules Alignment Group) met and delivered strategic development requests for Pelican software.

Q3

• USP employees are trained in Overhead Line Safety as we prepare for the launch of the Overhead Assets Notification pilot.
• Planning for USP's 40th Anniversary ramps up, and we start preparing for the new Alternative Locator Program going live in 2024.
• USP begins strategic development of our Cyber Security Plan, implementing Proofpoint protection for email and a new Cyber Incident Response plan.
• The decision is made to split the NextGen software release into two phases to allow more time for members to prepare for outbound ticket changes. Phase 1 is targeted for January 2024. Phase 2 member testing is planned for Fall 2024 with a Winter 2024 release. 
• NextGen Phase 1 release is handed over to Contact Centre for beta testing.
• Joint Board and Operations Advisory Committee meetings and Golf Tourney held in Red Deer.

Q4

• USP joins Canadian Underground Infrastructure Innovation Centre, a think tank developed by the University of Alberta
• Travel time! USP participates in several conferences, symposiums, and user groups, including the Canadian Common Ground Alliance Safety Conference in Quebec City, Facility Notification Centre Association Fall meeting, and the first PelicanCorp User Group meeting.
• Overhead Assets Notification pilot goes live! 
• Communication rollouts start for Pelican NextGen (Phase 1) and Alternate Locator Program.
• Seasonal DPAs and ambassadors leave for the off-season and USP runs with fewest number of winter staff in its history.
• Work begins on a re-write of procedure manuals, webinars and Pelican NextGen training documentation.

It was another productive year for the team at USP, and we’re looking forward to tackling the new projects and challenges of 2024.