Industry Safety Awards
The Industry Safety Awards celebrate the people and organizations that are advancing excavation safety, damage prevention, and public awareness. It includes the Industry Safety Awards Dinner, which recognizes exceptional achievements across the sector through a formal evening of celebration. The awards highlight meaningful progress, inspire industry-wide improvement, and honour the leaders who are helping create a safer and more resilient Ontario.
2026 Award Winners
Lifetime Achievement in Damage Prevention & Safe Excavation Award Winner: Dean Dalpe
Dean Dalpe was recognized for more than 25 years of leadership in damage prevention, safe digging education and industry collaboration. By bringing utilities, excavators, locators and government together, he helped improve locate services and advance a more accountable approach to protecting underground infrastructure.
Transformative Safety Education & Engagement Award Winner: Hydro One
Hydro One was recognized for its “Click Before You Dig” campaign, which reached more than four million people through radio, billboards and digital channels. By delivering a clear message about requesting locates before spring projects, the campaign helped increase public awareness and produced a 10% increase in survey respondents who said they would definitely call or click before digging.
Leadership in Dig Safety Award Winner: Chris Brennan
Chris Brennan was recognized for more than 13 years of advancing excavation safety in Kitchener through excavator education and mentoring new locators. His improvements to training, locate documentation and testing of newly installed water infrastructure will help crews locate and protect those assets for years to come.
Innovation in Dig Safety Award Winner: PUC Inc.
PUC Inc. was recognized for transforming its locate operations by connecting precise satellite positioning technology with its digital mapping system. By enabling crews to record and share underground asset locations, the organization improved locate accuracy from metres to centimetres, reduced repeat work and provided more reliable information to help prevent excavation damage.
2025 Industry Safety Award Winners
The City of Markham was recognized for transforming its locate program from low compliance to a consistent 100 percent in only six months. By adopting new technology, streamlining processes, and restructuring service delivery, the City eliminated damage claims and set a new standard for innovation in safe excavation.
Synergy North was recognized for its Digging Safely Is More Than Just a Call or Click campaign, which used relatable storytelling and multi-channel outreach to enforce safer digging behaviour. The campaign achieved a significant reduction in excavation incidents and set a new benchmark for public safety education.
ORBA was recognized for leading the advocacy effort that resulted in new legal protections for roadside workers in Ontario. Through strategic partnerships, government engagement, and impactful public awareness campaigns, ORBA helped deliver meaningful legislative change that improved safety across the province.
