British Columbians and underground infrastructure are at serious risk when pipelines or hydro lines are struck or damaged because municipalities, contractors, homeowners and other excavators are not aware of the lines’ precise locations before digging. Everything is fine—until it’s not. Preventing damage in your communities is key to keeping your workers and citizens safe. In BC, there are over 2,000 documented hits to underground infrastructure each year. Many more go unreported. Most cases of worker and public safety risks and damages are completely avoidable or preventable.
Director of Operations and Education, BC 1 Call
Darlene Dyson has been with BC 1 Call since its inception in 1994. Starting as a customer service agent, advancing to Operations Manager, and serving most recently as the Director of Operations & Education has given her the unique opportunity of gaining an excellent understanding of the one call industry. Darlene has been involved in the startup and agent training in a number of one call systems throughout Canada and the US.
Darlene is actively involved in the BC Common Ground Alliance (BCCGA) organization where she represents BC 1 Call on the Alliance Board, sits on the Education and Best Practice committee, and participates in the jointly sponsored province-wide dig safe seminars. As well, Darlene travels throughout the province of BC to share the important message of “Call Before You Dig.”
With an extensive career in the communications and cable industry in the fields of safety and damage prevention it is Darlene’s goal to educate the excavating community on the importance of due diligence.
Regulatory Compliance Officer, Canada Energy Regulator
Debbie Clyne comes from emergency management and has 22 years of experience working in a municipality. She moved into pipeline damage prevention and has over 15 years working with pipelines, federal regulators, and those working near the pipelines, including creating and facilitating 19 Dig Safe BC! Workshops. She is now a Regulatory Compliance Officer with the Canada Energy Regulator and is tasked with reducing unauthorized activities in BC near federally regulated pipelines.
Debbie has been a member of the Board of Directors of BCCGA since 2008, is on the Pipeline Safety Committee (bringing the Ground Disturbance 201 Standard and Level II Ground Disturbance Supervisor Course to BC), and is also on the Education Marketing Committee. She is also a member of the Canadian CGA on their Education Marketing Committee. Awarded the Queens Jubilee Medal for her work managing large disasters with Canadian and American Red Cross, Debbie was also awarded the Lt. Governor’s Award for Safety in 2015 by BC Safety Authority for her work on safety in the digging community.