Australian locator certification program expands to Canada with help from Macpherson Kelley
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An Australian program that ensures locator operators are certified to find critical underground utilities like gas pipes and communication networks has been introduced to Canada.
Australian firm DBYD Certification Ltd has licensed its program to Locate Management Institute as the Canadian Certified Locator Program with assistance from intellectual property experts at Macpherson Kelley.
Macpherson Kelley Special Counsel Mark Metzeling said DBYD Certification’s training materials and methods were valuable intellectual property.
“DBYD Certification is internationally recognised as being the leader when it comes to locator certification standards. By taking this knowledge and formalising it as a program, through the use of a certification trade mark, we were able to instil formal standards that are fast becoming the benchmark in Australia and now overseas,” he said.
“DBYD Certification also has further international ambitions and protecting its logo will ensure its brand is recognised as one that can be trusted.”
DBYD Certification’s program is the gold standard to ensure locators are qualified to identify where essential infrastructure is located before excavation work is carried out.
Companies such as Telstra and Optus require locators to be certified through the program to access their networks for locating purposes.
Many other utilities throughout Australia, including gas, water and power, have endorsed or work closely with DBYD Certification Ltd to ensure locators are certified.
DBYD Certification grew out of Australia’s Dial Before You Dig organisations, which were formed to prevent damage to critical underground infrastructure.
DBYD Certification Chief Executive Robert Row said the program ensured people working as locators had the skills and experience to identify underground assets.
“Before the program there was no objective criteria to determine whether the locator you’ve hired was competent or not to do the job,” he said.
“Now companies know when they use someone who has completed the DBYD Certification program they have been through rigorous testing and assessment.”
DBYD Certification’s program was introduced in New Zealand in 2019. Robert said the company has plans to expand the program to more countries including the UK, US and Singapore.
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Australian locator certification program expands to Canada with help from Macpherson Kelley
An Australian program that ensures locator operators are certified to find critical underground utilities like gas pipes and communication networks has been introduced to Canada.
Australian firm DBYD Certification Ltd has licensed its program to Locate Management Institute as the Canadian Certified Locator Program with assistance from intellectual property experts at Macpherson Kelley.
Macpherson Kelley Special Counsel Mark Metzeling said DBYD Certification’s training materials and methods were valuable intellectual property.
“DBYD Certification is internationally recognised as being the leader when it comes to locator certification standards. By taking this knowledge and formalising it as a program, through the use of a certification trade mark, we were able to instil formal standards that are fast becoming the benchmark in Australia and now overseas,” he said.
“DBYD Certification also has further international ambitions and protecting its logo will ensure its brand is recognised as one that can be trusted.”
DBYD Certification’s program is the gold standard to ensure locators are qualified to identify where essential infrastructure is located before excavation work is carried out.
Companies such as Telstra and Optus require locators to be certified through the program to access their networks for locating purposes.
Many other utilities throughout Australia, including gas, water and power, have endorsed or work closely with DBYD Certification Ltd to ensure locators are certified.
DBYD Certification grew out of Australia’s Dial Before You Dig organisations, which were formed to prevent damage to critical underground infrastructure.
DBYD Certification Chief Executive Robert Row said the program ensured people working as locators had the skills and experience to identify underground assets.
“Before the program there was no objective criteria to determine whether the locator you’ve hired was competent or not to do the job,” he said.
“Now companies know when they use someone who has completed the DBYD Certification program they have been through rigorous testing and assessment.”
DBYD Certification’s program was introduced in New Zealand in 2019. Robert said the company has plans to expand the program to more countries including the UK, US and Singapore.