LSBUD NATIONAL SAFE DIGGING AWARDS ‘THE LARRIES’
Here at LSBUD everything we do, we do solely to reduce injuries, deaths and damages caused by asset strikes. But it is not just ourselves who strive towards this. We speak with companies and individuals from across the whole industry on a daily basis who also work extremely hard towards this goal.
We believe that this hard work and dedication should be recognised and with this in mind we were excited to be able to introduce our first ever National Safe Digging Awards in 2023. The awards have been a great success and are growing in popularity every year. For 2026 we will be elevating this recognition even further with the introduction of The National Safe Digging Awards Evening. This will be a dedicated celebration evening following on from National Damage Prevention Day at the prestigious St George’s Park in Burton-On-Trent and we would love to see you there.
Nominations for the 2026 awards are now open and you have until Friday 17th April 2026 to get your submission in. The submission form is below, if you have any queries though please do get in touch with us at marketing@lsbud.co.uk
To find out more details and book your tickets for the event please click here.
Award Categories
BEST PLANNING PROCESS
BEST SAFE WORKING CAMPAIGN
This category will reward the best campaign by a company or organisation to promote safe working practices around above or below ground assets. Entrants should use no more than 500 words to explain how their campaign has successfully enabled them to reach and inform those people who are at risk from injury when working near utility assets. Please remember when submitting your nomination to give as much detail and context to your submission as possible, paying attention to the criteria in which the category will be marked against which are; Impact to safe digging on both internal and external stakeholders, metrics of success, management information, senior leadership buy in (where applicable) and strength & quality of the submission.
BEST DAMAGE REPORTING PROCESS
This category is designed to reward the organisation that has shown the most commitment to recording damages and near misses over a measured period of time. Please provide evidence of your damage reduction activities and explain how you achieved this. Please remember when submitting your nomination to give as much detail and context to your submission as possible, paying attention to the criteria in which the category will be marked against which are; reporting, management information, senior leadership buy in, company wide engagement, cultural behaviour towards damage reporting and strength & quality of the submission.
SAFE DIGGING HERO
BEST SAFE DIGGING INFLUENCER
Nomination Form
2025 Winners
Best Planning Process
Depotnet Ltd won the 2025 LSBUD Award for Best Planning Process, with Annie Tibbs proudly collecting the award on behalf of the team.
Depotnet impressed the judging panel by delivering significant efficiencies for their clients through the clever integration of the LSBUD Search API into their software. This innovation has resulted in a remarkable 75% reduction in the time taken to retrieve safe digging plans; a major step forward in improving planning processes and promoting safe excavation practices. Congratulations once again to Depotnet on this well-deserved achievement.
Best Safe Working Campaign
Cadent Gas Limited won the 2025 LSBUD Award for Best Safe Working Campaign, with Sean Bunker of Cadent Gas proudly accepting the award!
Their innovative Safety QR Code initiative is making a real difference in protecting high and intermediate pressure pipelines. By placing QR codes on marker posts, signs, and kiosks, they’re helping third parties quickly identify pipeline locations and access vital contact information, reducing the risk of damage and ensuring the security of supply.
Best Damage Reporting Process
A huge congratulations to Avove Utilities, winners of this year’s Best Damage Reporting Process award, with Graham Warbrick collecting the award on their behalf.
By thoroughly investigating and measuring damage incidents, they’ve achieved a remarkable 50% reduction in just one year. This success is powered by their expertly delivered staff education programme: Locate, Mark, Avoid, Protect; a clear and effective framework for safer working.
Safe Digging Hero
A big congratulations to Darren O’Neill of PGL Midlands Ltd as this year’s LSBUD Safe Digging Hero!
Darren has personally trained over 200 professionals in the past year, delivering impactful training and awareness programmes that are actively shaping the future of safety in the utilities sector. His dedication, leadership, and the glowing feedback from clients make him a true standout in the industry.
Best Safe Digging Influencer
We’re delighted to announce Murray Peat of Linewatch as the winner of the LSBUD Award for Best Safe Digging Influencer!
Murray’s dedication to promoting safe digging is unmatched, reaching over 640 people in 2024 through in-person presentations and travelling the length and breadth of the UK to spread awareness. His passion and commitment have made a lasting impact across the industry. Fittingly, Murray couldn’t be with us today, he’s up in Scotland at The Highland Show, continuing his mission to educate and protect. Accepting the award on his behalf is Alex Clift from Fisher German LLP.
The Larries – Hall Of Fame
Best Planning Process
Best Safe Working Campaign
2023 – USP Competency Framework