Amey, Kier, Balfour Beatty, SGN, Wales & West Utilities, Severn Trent, Cadent, SP Energy, UK Power Networks, Affinity Water and Virgin Media were just some of the major names in attendance at the inaugural ‘LSBUD Damage Prevention Day’, which took place on 14 June at The Belfry, Birmingham.
Organisers, LinesearchbeforeUdig (LSBUD), the UK’s online search and safe digging utility service, welcomed one hundred delegates from 60 companies from across the utilities and construction sectors. They gathered to discuss the prevention of damage to utility networks and to identify ways to improve safe working in and around pipes and cables.
Richard Broome, Managing Director at LSBUD:
“With this being our first ‘Damage Prevention Day’, we were absolutely thrilled with the level of interest. We welcomed some of the most well-respected names from across the utilities and construction sectors, which in itself shows that damage prevention is a subject of particular interest within the industry. Whilst things are improving, there is a lot more education and best practice to share.”
In addition to discussing future best practices for the industry and networking with likeminded individuals, there was also a series of talks and roundtables for delegates, covering topics like ‘the most effective thing that organisations do to eliminate strikes’, ‘helping understand the causes of utility strikes’ and ‘how best to engage with householders’.
In the keynote session, Dr Jo-Anne Michael, Inspector at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), provided an insight from the HSE into the causes and often unseen costs of workplace incidents.
Tamsin Morgan, Health and Safety Manager, and Keston Jones, Safety Manager at SGN talked about plant protection for its 75,000km network, using some alarming visual examples.
Building on this, Jim Denholm, Health and Safety Consultant at SP Energy, provided a hard-hitting account of how SP Energy responds to cable strikes. Andy Shaw, Owner of Gilbertson Shaw, then used his experience from the aviation sector to help delegates better understand the nuances of human behaviour and the keys to eliminating accidents.
Andrew Jackson of the Linewatch Group, delivered the penultimate talk, exploring why the Linewatch Group was originally founded and the drivers behind collaboration between high pressure pipeline operators.
Ian Salmon, Landowner Liaison Officer at Fisher German, closed the day with his ‘confessions of a Landowner Liaison Officer’, talking about why good communication matters, especially when dealing with farmers who don’t always want people on their land.
Broome concludes:
“The feedback we’ve already received from attendees has been incredible, so much so that we are already in early discussions about next year’s event.”