Spring in Saskatchewan
April is Dig Safe month, as proclaimed by the province of Saskatchewan. For more than 30 years, the Annual Contractor Dig Safe Awareness Breakfast program has been held in dozens of communities across the province.
The Saskatchewan Common Ground Alliance (SCGA) and 21 of its member sponsors (Breakfast Sponsors – SCGA) including, our province’s pipeline and utility companies, make this the unofficial start to our digging season for the year.
The events educate the front-line workers, safety managers, emergency personnel and the general public about the importance of digging safely around underground and overhead infrastructure.
An anchor of the program is the locally made and produced safety videos (SCGA - YouTube) in which a number of digging awareness topics are covered such as:
1. Costs to you, your family and your community when you contact underground facilities; (The Costs of Contacting a Line - YouTube)
2. What to look for Before You Dig; (What to look for Before You Dig - YouTube)
3. Proper pressures when day lighting; (Proper pressures when day lighting - YouTube)
4. Safe excavation practices and tolerance zone; (SCGA Safe Excavation Practices and Tolerance Zone - YouTube) and
5. A powerful story of a man who sets himself on fire when he inadvertently pushes a pipe up into an overhead power line. (I almost died from electrical shock - YouTube)
The 2021 Contractor Dig Safe Breakfast program will look a little different due to the ongoing global pandemic. There will be no face-to-face sessions but there will be a chance for those front-line workers to win breakfast when our made in Saskatchewan safety video is watched.
Stay tuned to our social channels for more details soon! (SCGA @SaskCGA) / Twitter - SK Common Ground Alliance | Facebook - Saskatchewan Common Ground Alliance: Overview | LinkedIn)