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 closed. Good luck to all of this years participants, there have been so many fantastic entries this year it is going to be a tough vote for our panel of judges!

To find out more details and book your tickets for the event please click here.

Award Categories

BEST PLANNING PROCESS

Previously titled ‘Best Enquiry Process’ this category is designed to recognise the individual or company that has developed the best processes for obtaining, collating, reviewing and utilising their safe digging plans post LSBUD enquiry. Entrants should use no more than 500 words to explain why their enquiry processes work so well to keep their people and the assets they work around safe. 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 and strength & quality of the submission.

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

Please use this category to nominate your safe digging hero. This may be a colleague, peer or someone within the industry that you feel should be recognised for their commitment to safe digging within the industry. Someone who goes above and beyond to ensure works are carried out safely, or an individual who has reacted especially well to an incident or near miss, using it as a learning experience to improve their own, or others, working practices. Entries should be 500 words or fewer. 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, going beyond what is required and strength & quality of the submission.

BEST SAFE DIGGING INFLUENCER

With social media playing a huge role in today’s world, we thought it right for it to also be acknowledged. The Best Safe Digging Influencer award can be achieved by an individual or company that advocates safe digging online (social media or website or any other related media). Please provide evidence of a social media or online campaign that has been successful in reaching a large audience or that has caused influence within the safe digging community in any way. Screenshots of analytics along with clear evidence of your work is to be submitted along with a minimum of 150 words as to why you believe it has been successful. 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; metrics of success (as previously mentioned) company and/or industry wide engagement and strength & quality of the submission.

BEST INNOVATION FOR SAFE DIGGING

This is a brand new category which LSBUD are launching in dedication to Stephan Parra who we sadly lost in March this year. Steph was a much loved colleague & friend and he played a pivotal role in shaping the LSBUD that everyone in the room knows today. There are many LSBUD solutions in place today that the without Steph’s creative innovation and problem solving skills simply would not exist, these solutions are used across the length and breadth of the industry with many benefitting from his work without even realising it.

2026 Winners

Best Planning Process

MWH Treatment won the 2026 Best Planning Process, with Steve Kent and Glynn Pinchbeck proudly collecting the award on behalf of the team.

MWH Treatment transformed service avoidance by introducing specialist expertise, strengthening data validation, improving survey quality, and enhancing training. These improvements have significantly reduced risk, increased accuracy, and set a new benchmark for safe excavation, driving industry-leading standards across the business and wider frameworks.

Best Safe Working Campaign

M Group Water won the 2026 Best Safe Working Campaign award, with Martin Williams and James Alexander proudly accepting the award!

CLAMP ON is a behaviour-led safety initiative that simplifies complex safe-digging requirements into six clear, practical rules applied at the point of work. By embedding consistent behaviours across all roles and reinforcing them with visible prompts on equipment, it strengthens risk control before and during excavation. The campaign has achieved a 60% reduction in service strikes, improved compliance, and significantly lowered injury risk. Strong leadership support, rapid incident feedback, and continuous improvement through CLAMP ON 2.0 have helped create a shared safety culture with both internal and external stakeholders and a scalable, industry-leading approach to excavation safety.

Best Damage Reporting Process

A huge congratulations to the Utility Strike Avoidance Group (USAG), winner of this year’s Best Damage Reporting Process award, with David Gerrard collecting the award on their behalf.

USAG has demonstrated strong leadership in damage reporting through its Strike Portal, creating an inclusive national dataset and driving widespread industry adoption. With over 500 member organisations and growing engagement, it promotes transparency, collaboration, and shared learning to improve utility strike reporting and prevention across the UK.

Safe Digging Hero

A big congratulations to Paul Rogers from Galliford Try, winner of this year’s Safe Digging Hero award!

Paul Rogers is an exceptional Safe Digging leader who achieved zero service strikes on a major £8m project by embedding a strong safety culture and rigorous controls, ensuring best practices across all teams. He also elevates standards company-wide through mentoring and knowledge sharing, and remains committed to improving industry practices, making him a highly deserving Safe Digging Hero.

Best Innovation For Safe Digging

We’re delighted to announce Depotnet as the winner of the inaugural LSBUD Award for Best Innovation for Safe Digging, a new category created in memory of Stephan Parra, whose innovation and dedication helped shape many of the LSBUD solutions used across the industry today.

Originally planned for 2027, the award was introduced early following two exceptional nominations. This year’s winner, Depotnet’s #SwitchOnDigSafe campaign, impressed judges by embedding LSBUD searches directly into operational workflows, helping organisations make safe digging a seamless part of everyday operations. The solution has delivered significant benefits, including a 52% reduction in utility strikes, making it a worthy first recipient of this special award.

Accepting the award on behalf of Depotnet is (from left to right), Reece Baggot, Kimberley Cook, Annie Tibbs and Dan Moore.

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!

Previously recognised as Best Safe Digging Influencer, Murray Peat is a highly respected safe digging leader who has made a significant impact across the UK utilities sector through his work with Linewatch. Driving industry awareness through nationwide presentations, hands-on engagement, and strong digital advocacy on social media. His practical, experience-led approach promotes LSBUD and “Search Before You Dig,” improving competence, influencing behaviours, and embedding a proactive safety culture that reduces excavation risk across the utilities sector. Accepting the award on his behalf is Clare Phillipson from Fisher German LLP.