UKPN, UKOPA, Fisher German, Portsmouth Water, BeforeUdig NZ, Linewatch and Rhino, are amongst the major names taking to the ‘stage’, when The Damage Prevention Day Conference, which focuses on protecting utility assets and those working near them, returns on 5th November.
Event organiser LSBUD, the UK’s leading online safe digging search resource, has confirmed that due to COVID-19 and with the safety of attendees in mind, the 2020 edition will be hosted online.
Attendees to the online event will still see a mixture of leading exhibitors presenting their products, be able to take part in roundtable discussions, and listen to the brightest minds talking about the industry’s latest and most pressing issues and potential solutions.
Richard Broome, Managing Director at LSBUD, comments: “We are really excited that we have been able to retain the momentum of the previous years’ events by moving our Damage Prevention Day online. Promoting the prevention of damage to utility networks across the UK and ensuring that our nation’s workers stay safe is a crucial message, so we absolutely wanted the conference to take place, but not at the expense of our attendees’ safety. We have a fantastic line-up as you would expect, covering some of the most cutting-edge subjects.”
The Conference will kick off with two sessions looking at whether we are using location technology to its full potential. Andrew Healey, General Manager at BeforeUdig New Zealand will analyse the introduction of Locator certification and the impact it has had on the industry in New Zealand.
Phil Cornforth, USAG Stakeholder Engagement Manager will then focus on how the UK and New Zealand differ, with a particular focus on USAG’s activity during 2020.
The next online sessions will concentrate on regulatory performance. A representative from Portsmouth Water will provide a summary of how the highest performing water company for customer satisfaction, achieved that status, focusing on its damage prevention journey.
The team at UKPN will follow this, presenting its OFGEM funded network feedback tool, detailing why the project came to fruition and what it entails.
‘Understanding strike incidents – who, where, what and how?’ will be the focus for the next set of presenters – UKOPA, Linewatch, Fisher German and UKPN. The companies’ representatives will cover strike investigations, follow ups across a range of environments and stakeholders, and how customer engagement activity ties in with prevention of damage.
The final session of the day comes from Scott Landes, President and CEO at Rhino, Organiser of the Annual US Excavation Safety Conference, who will share the view from across the pond. He will analyse what we can learn from the US and what a more collaborative and cohesive approach might mean.
In addition to the presentations, those that participate in the day will have the opportunity to network with industry peers, provide input in engaging breakout sessions and have access to LSBUD’s Digging Up Britain Report that looks at the vulnerability of the UK’s utility infrastructure, and how safe digging practices are moving things in the right direction.
Richard Broome concludes: “We know that nothing can quite replace a face-to-face event, but what we have put in place is really quite special. People being able to attend from the comfort of their own homes or offices, is a fantastic replacement for our usual event, and we can’t wait to go live. Places for the Conference are limited and are assigned on a first come first serve basis, so I would encourage anyone interested in the day to get their tickets now.”
