HEALTH AND SAFETY
Our Safety Mission "Safety is an Attitude"
At Know Before You Dig Locates, safety is not a checkbox or a policy. It is a core attitude that guides every decision we make in the field. We believe safety goes beyond rules and procedures. It is a mindset that influences how work is planned, executed, and communicated.
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Our commitment extends beyond our team to protect the public, our clients, and the environment. Through rigorous training, site specific hazard assessments, and proactive emergency preparedness, we work to minimize injuries, prevent incidents, and reduce environmental impact.
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We maintain compliance with applicable regulations while continually refining our safety practices. The goal is simple and non negotiable: every job completed safely, every worker returning home unharmed, and every site left without incident.
Safety Training
Know Before You Dig Locates is committed to ensuring all field staff are properly trained for the environments and conditions they encounter. Our technicians complete ongoing safety training appropriate to the work being performed, site conditions, and regional requirements.
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Training is reviewed and updated regularly and may include, where applicable:
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Working safely near buried energy, utility, and pipeline infrastructure
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Public and private utility infrastructure awareness
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Occupational health and safety training relevant to construction and ground disturbance
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Fall protection and confined space awareness
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Electrical safety awareness
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Defensive driving and journey management
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Railway safety awareness for work performed on or near active rail corridors, rail rights of way, or rail owned property
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Client or site specific safety orientations
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Emergency response and incident prevention protocols
Training requirements vary by location, asset owner, and project. All personnel are required to maintain current certifications applicable to their role and the jurisdiction in which work is performed.
Daily Safety Practices
Before the start of each workday, a tailgate meeting and job safety analysis are completed in conjunction with a site services checklist. Safety expectations are discussed at the outset of every project, and clients are engaged as appropriate to ensure shared understanding of site specific risks and controls.
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We recognize that the same conditions that lead to near misses are often the same conditions that result in incidents. The difference is frequently timing or outcome, not cause. For this reason, near misses are actively identified, discussed, and documented so lessons are learned before loss occurs.
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Field staff are encouraged to report near misses related to their own work, client activities, or surrounding site conditions. Near miss reporting supports continuous improvement and reinforces a proactive safety culture where risk awareness becomes second nature rather than reactive.
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Personal Protective Equipment
Appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn based on site conditions, client requirements, and the nature of work being performed.
On construction, industrial, or high risk sites, this typically includes:
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Work boots with a minimum six inch ankle support
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High visibility safety vest
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Hard hat appropriate to site requirements
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Task appropriate cut resistant gloves
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Safety glasses with side protection
Minimum personal protective equipment requirements may vary by site, jurisdiction, asset owner, or client specification. Field staff are responsible for verifying and complying with all site specific safety requirements before work begins.
Journey Managment
Travel to and from work sites represents one of the highest risk activities associated with field operations. While eliminating travel would remove this risk entirely, it is not practical for field based services. For this reason, journey risk is actively assessed and managed before each job.
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Journey planning includes consideration of weather conditions, road conditions, route selection, site access challenges, and vehicle readiness. These factors are reviewed prior to departure so potential hazards are identified early and appropriate controls can be applied.
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Vehicle condition, required safety equipment, and fitness to drive are verified as part of routine operations. Where elevated risk is identified, journeys may be adjusted, delayed, or re evaluated to reduce exposure.
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By treating travel as a planned activity rather than a routine task, journey management supports safer decision making and reinforces the principle that safety considerations extend beyond the work site itself.
Health & Safety Excellence Program
Know Before You Dig Locates operates under an internal Health and Safety Excellence Program developed through decades of field experience and formal damage prevention practice. This program is built on the same principles that underpin our locating services, identifying risk early, understanding limitations, and applying practical controls before incidents occur.
Our program is supported by a comprehensive health and safety manual originally developed for large scale locating operations and continuously refined through real world application. It establishes consistent policies, procedures, and expectations for field work across varying site conditions, client environments, and regulatory frameworks.
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The program emphasizes hazard recognition, job planning, situational awareness, and clear communication rather than checkbox compliance. Policies and procedures are reviewed and updated regularly to reflect evolving industry practices, lessons learned from field operations, and changes in client or site requirements.
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This internal program reflects the Own Your Safety philosophy, safety as an attitude, not a document. It provides a structured framework that supports our teams in making informed decisions while reinforcing accountability, professionalism, and damage prevention at every stage of work.
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