We’re Focused on Helping You to Dig Safely

We’re Focused on Helping You to Dig Safely 

The Alberta Common Ground Alliance (ABCGA), now administered by Alberta One-Call Corporation (AOC), is focused in providing education and awareness to workers involved in the digging industry or anyone who disturbs the ground, from contractors and municipalities to Indigenous communities and individuals.

Our mission is not only to promote damage prevention practices to protect buried facilities such as gas, power, telecommunication, and pipelines. It is also to help you avoid injury or damage to your equipment and protect the environment. Each year in Alberta, there are over 3,000 damage incidents with a societal cost of around $300 million. 

The ABCGA’s Education and Awareness Committee has continued to reach out to those in need of damage prevention training and those who could benefit from safety reminders while on the job. We have also been in the process of creating a recognition program to motivate and celebrate those who do demonstrate leadership in safety. Details will be announced later this year. 

As part of the federal and provincial government’s funding program to clean up inactive wells in Indigenous communities in Alberta, we have partnered with TC Energy and the Indian Resource Council to train Indigenous members from Alberta for work placement opportunities. The Ground Disturbance 201 training teaches advanced excavation, locating and marking skills, and demonstrates safe processes to carry out these activities in conformance with regulatory requirements and industry best practices. Together with other certifications including WHMIS, First Aid and H2S Alive, it gives participants the qualifications and skills to obtain work in the field, including orphan well reclamation and rehabilitation. By June, 19 different Indigenous groups had participated in the training, with 36 participants successfully completing the program.

As part of Safe Digging Month in April, we executed a Social Media campaign directed at a variety of audiences from homeowners working around their yards, to those working with digging equipment. The successful campaign was liked, re-tweeted and shared extending our reach with Albertans. 

If you feel that you or your company need to learn more about digging safely, please visit us at www.abcga.ca and view our resources or feel free to contact us for information on workshops and tradeshows.

Mona Bartsoff