Before You Dig Australia’s (BYDA) latest research report, Australia’s Underground Utility Safety Reckoning, highlights evidence that more than 15,000 utility strikes occur annually, costing the Australian economy $4.6 billion through project delays, service disruptions, asset damage and lost productivity. Most of these incidents are preventable.
BYDA’s report illustrates the urgent need for government reform to reduce the growing number of underground utility strikes occurring across Australia. It also indicates that Australia lags behind countries such as France, Canada and the United States, where stronger legislation, mandatory excavation notification requirements and more advanced data-sharing frameworks help improve safety outcomes.
BYDA is calling for several practical reforms to prevent utility strikes, including nationally mandating a BYDA enquiry before excavation, improving the quality and accessibility of underground asset data, and strengthening the use of national data to support enforcement, education and industry improvement initiatives.
The report provides a roadmap for governments, regulators, asset owners and industry to improve safety, reduce disruption and better protect Australia’s critical infrastructure.
Read the full media release to learn more.