At Infrastructure Resources (IR) we have always believed locating and locate technicians are a critical part of damage prevention and excavation safety. We have turned our support for the locating industry into many initiatives and actions, but we are always looking for new ways to reinforce the importance of locating and giving all stakeholders a platform for discussion. I am reaching out to see if you have any ideas on ways we can continue supporting the locating community through our various platforms: Excavation Safety Magazine (rebranded from dp- PRO Magazine starting with this issue), Excavation Safety Conference (founded in 2004), our annual Excavation Safety Guide, or the Excavation Safety Alliance (ESA). Our ESA virtual Town Halls have been extremely popular, and we would welcome topics that might help deal with locate-related issues.
Locator Safety & Appreciation Week (LSAW): Created by IR in 2014.
• The last week of April
• Free tools at LocatorSafety.com
Global Locate Masters: Created in 2021 in partnership with UTTO.
Showcases the skills locate technicians must have while providing training.
• The annual championship held at the Global Excavation Safety Conference raises the visibility of locating.
• GlobalLocateMasters.com
Global Locate Summit: 10-plus years at Global ESC addressing key issues in the locate industry.
GlobalExcavationSafetyConference.com/Summits
Global GRP Congress (Virtual): Created as a partnership with Bigman Geospatial in 2020.
Electromagnetic locating is what most people have in mind when they think of locating, but GPR often plays a key role in locating the most difficult facilities. The Global GPR Congress attracts attendees and speakers from around the world.
• The 2023 dates are May 16 – 17 and you can register for free at GPRCongress.com.
Locate Demo (EM & GPR): This is a hands-on event held on Thursday at the Global Excavation Safety Conference.
• Bob Nighswonger, a master locate trainer, leads the demo and answers questions.
• Manufacturers who are exhibiting at the Global ESC can participate and answer questions.
• The event allows non-locate technicians to see what it is really like to locate buried utilities.
Locate Workshops (EM and GPR): These are held annually at the Global Excavation Safety Conference.
• They are 1/2 day to full day workshops that get into much more detail than a 45-minute conference session.
Locate Technology Roundtable: New at Global ESC in 2023.
• An expert panel will discuss advances in locate technology and where they feel technology is headed.
• We will have a virtual Excavation Safety Alliance Town Hall on the same subject in April 2023.
Excavation Safety Magazine (formerly dp-PRO)
Editorial content consistently promoting locating and the importance of the locate industry.
• Past articles can be found at ExcavationSafetyMagazine.com.
While locators play a vital role in damage prevention, one of our primary goals is to bring all stakeholders together and give them a voice so ideas and issues can be shared. A few ways IR accomplishes this include:
Virtual Excavation Safety Alliance Town Halls
• These are free to attend and focus on important topics in the industry like late locates, Women in Damage Prevention, Cross Bores, etc.
• Register for upcoming Town Halls or view previous Town Halls at ExcavationSafetyAlliance.com/townhall.
Providing free stakeholder meeting space at the Global Excavation Safety Conference. Some groups hold member-only meetings at the Global ESC to combine their meeting with the chance to attend the Conference, and others have meetings open to anyone interested.
Groups meeting at our event in 2023:
• CAMO (Coastal & Marine Operators)
• CDMCS (Council for Dredging and Marine Construction Safety)
• FNCA (Facility Notification Center Association)
• LWDP (Leading Women of Damage Prevention)
• NTDPC (North American Telecommunications Damage Prevention Council)
• Pipeline Safety Task Force
• Safety Day hosted by NUCA and NUCA of Florida
Our mission at IR is “Saving Lives through Education.” Our team welcomes any ideas you have on how we can better serve the industry and all stakeholder groups.