Before You Dig Australia has conducted Australia’s first-ever research to reveal the true economic burden of preventable utility strikes – a costly impact that can no longer be ignored.

Each year Australia foots a staggering $4.6 billion bill for the direct and indirect costs of damages to our national network of utility services.

Our research highlights most incidents are driven by poor regulation, outdated data standards, and inadequate training. Utility strikes impact infrastructure projects, endanger workers and drive up the cost for construction projects nationwide.

With the numbers in, now is the time for action.

National Reform for Utility Safety – call for industry cooperation

BYDA is calling for three major national reforms across legislation, technology, and workforce training to reverse this preventable cost to the economy.

To truly reform how we manage utility risks in this country, we need industry and government collaboration. 

“We need leaders from the utility, construction, and government sectors to come together and support these reforms. BYDA is ready to lead the charge, but we need the full backing of the industry to make these necessary changes a reality,” said Mell Greenall CEO BYDA.

To drive collaboration and national transformation, BYDA is launching the ‘National Reform for Utility Safety’ – an initiative urging key industry and government leaders to champion the reforms and pave the way to a safer, smarter future for Australia’s utility infrastructure networks. 

Get involved. Find out more about the National Reform for Utility Safety here.

Get the data on the true costs of utility strikes. Read BYDA’s research report ‘Economic Assessment of Utility Strikes in Australiahere.

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