Are you a Damage Prevention Professional? How do you know? We plan to change that so there’s certainty. Across multiple events, the proposal to certify Damage Prevention Professionals gained strong traction. Attendees expressed a consistent, collective view that formalizing this role is both necessary and overdue.
In 2026, Utility Safety Partners and the Training Standards Committee appointed me, Coral Lukaniuk, as Executive Director for the Damage Prevention Professional Certification (DPPC). I’m energized by the opportunity and committed to bringing as many perspectives as possible into the design of this program. My career has taken me from boots‑on‑the‑ground work to leadership, with damage prevention woven throughout. When I first became involved in damage prevention, my lens was threat management under federal regulations 49 CFR Parts 192 and 195, where mechanical damage has long been recognized as a critical pipeline risk.
Damage prevention is essential to protecting people, the environment, and critical utility infrastructure. Yet the individuals performing this work often step into the role by happenstance, with no formal title, recognition, or professional pathway. DPPC is being designed to professionalize the role, create clearer, more respected career paths, and ensure ongoing competency. As the DPPC evolves, it will elevate industry credibility and foster stronger collaboration among all stakeholders dedicated to protecting underground infrastructure.
Leading up to a facilitated strategy session, we conducted a survey to gather insights from a wide range of perspectives in the damage prevention space, beginning with the question, “What best describes your current role or professional background?” The results showed a correlation between leaders and specialists and their awareness of the certification program. Awareness was lowest among field technicians and land agents, and One Call center agents reported no awareness at all. This suggests that leadership and training roles are currently the most familiar with the DPPC initiative, while technical and support roles are less connected to it. The survey questions, many of which directly informed the strategy session, revealed that respondents are looking for a certification program that is credible, practical, flexible, and recognized across the industry.
The facilitated session focused on establishing the strategic foundation, which is table stakes for building any large-scale program or organization. Proceeding without a solid foundation, or with a weak one, creates significant risk, leading the program to constant repair or eventual full overhaul, both of which are costly.
The participants in this strategy session all work directly in damage prevention. Their roles represented educators and trainers, locators, mid-level leaders, One Call center employees, and others. This diversity enabled constructive, sometimes challenging, conversations and ultimately helped us align on the program’s purpose, values, pillars, and vision. We are now at the start of an incredible journey, much like climbing a mountain. In the distance, we can see the summit: a globally recognized certification that elevates the damage prevention profession. It won’t stop there as continual improvement, a core value, will always be ingrained in the program.
The strategic foundation is grounded in the path forward, with a strong purpose to advance and recognize the professionals who safeguard energy and utility infrastructure through effective damage prevention. It is critical to gain varied perspectives from roles and regions during this build year. We’ll focus on accreditation and recognition, knowledge and competency standards, and continuous professional development.
DPPC Strategic Foundation
With the strategic foundation in place, an Advisory Council is being formed at the time of writing this article. The Council of senior leaders from industry, regulators, higher education, and associations will guide the program in some of the more difficult areas of cross-border politics and culture, organizational adoption, accreditation objectives, and professional recognition.
So many cylinders are firing right now to establish Damage Prevention as a defined career path, and formal recognition of training and ongoing continuing education is gaining real traction. Preliminary thinking centered on a structure of core courses, electives, and continuing education credits delivered through online learning. Now that program development is underway, the framework will evolve as it is shaped through collaboration and validation. Near the end of the article, there are ways for you to get involved!
The timeline is straightforward: 2026 is the build year, 2027 marks the launch, and 2028 begins global expansion. Another way to view it: 2026 establishes the program, 2027 brings in the early adopters, and 2028 and beyond scale the certification.
Certification Roadmap
DPPC is transforming the current landscape in creating a recognized profession with clear standards, meaningful career progression, and ongoing competency expectations. As the DPPC matures, it will enhance the field’s credibility and foster stronger, more unified collaboration across the entire damage prevention ecosystem.
Currently, Utility Safety Partners (USP) (utilitysafety.ca) provides a neutral, trusted home for the DPPC Program to mature. USP has emerged as a recognized non-profit Damage Prevention organization that will ensure the program is built for industry, by industry, with transparency and accountability at its core.
Join the movement. We’re creating a community of volunteers who want to take part in in-person and online workshops; even attending just one makes a difference. If you’re ready to help drive meaningful change, reach out.
An in‑person workshop will be held in conjunction with the Global Damage Prevention Summit in Nashville (actsnowinc.com/globaldps). This workshop is open to all attendees. We’ll pressure-test the framework, challenge assumptions, and accelerate the shift toward a recognized profession!