Every April, Canada and the United States observe Dig Safe Month. It’s a reminder that ground disturbance work, including excavation, trenching, potholing, and boring, carries serious risk when it’s done without adequate planning or proper training. Underground utilities don’t announce themselves. Striking one injures workers. It shuts down projects, triggers regulatory investigations, and creates liability that doesn’t go away.
The good news: most of it is preventable. Proper certification is where prevention starts.
What Is Dig Safe Month?
Dig Safe Month is an annual awareness initiative recognized each April across Canada and the United States. It encourages workers, supervisors, and employers to prioritize safe digging practices. The core message is the same on both sides of the border: notify one-call centres before you dig, understand what’s underground, and make sure everyone on site has proper ground disturbance training. Knowing what ground disturbance hazards exist is where that preparation begins.
Before any ground is broken, the first step is contacting your local notification or one-call centre. In Canada, each province operates its own one-call service. Visit digsafe.ca to find the contact for your province. In the United States, call 811 or visit call811.com to submit a locate request. Both services are free.
The specific regulatory requirements for ground disturbance work vary by jurisdiction. In Canada, they’re governed by provincial OHS legislation. In Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba, Ground Disturbance Level II certification is a recognized standard for anyone who plans, directs, or supervises excavation activities. In the U.S., state and federal requirements differ, but the foundational principles of locate requests, hazard assessment, and supervisor competency are consistent across jurisdictions.
The Difference Between Level I and Level II
Not all ground disturbance training is the same. The level you need depends on your role.
Ground Disturbance Level I is for operational-level workers performing ground disturbance work under direct supervision. It covers hazard recognition, how to request locates, safe digging practices, and what to do in an emergency.
Ground Disturbance Level II covers everything in Level I, and is required for equipment operators and anyone performing ground disturbance work unsupervised. It also covers ground disturbance plans, permit-to-dig processes, regulatory requirements, risk assessment, and the responsibilities that come with being in charge of a crew working near buried infrastructure.
It is also worth noting that many worksites require Level II regardless of a worker’s role. Confirm what level of certification is required for your specific work before enrolling.
What Ground Disturbance Level II Covers
Danatec’s online ground disturbance training is available Canada-wide, with province-specific Level II certifications for Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Each version is aligned to the provincial OHS requirements in that jurisdiction. Danatec’s Level II has received endorsement from Utility Safety Partners, the BC Common Ground Alliance (BCCGA), and the Manitoba Common Ground Alliance (MCGA), adding third-party validation to the certification.
The course covers:
- Regulatory framework: Provincial OHS requirements for ground disturbance work, including what constitutes a “ground disturbance” and when a permit is required
- Underground utilities and infrastructure: Types of buried facilities, how utility databases work, how to interpret locate information, and the limits of what locates actually confirm
- Ground disturbance plans: What a compliant plan includes, who is responsible for it, and how to document it properly
- Emergency response: What to do if something goes wrong, including utility strikes, ground collapse, and exposure to hazardous substances
- Supervisory responsibilities: The legal and ethical responsibilities of the person in charge of a ground disturbance operation
Learners receive a certificate on completion. The course is self-paced and available on any device, so workers can complete it before they arrive on site rather than scrambling to get certified after the fact.
Why This Matters for Employers
According to the Canadian Common Ground Alliance DIRT Report, damage to buried utilities costs Canada in excess of $1 billion every year. The same report found that 1 in 4 damages occurred because the excavating party never submitted a locate request. In most cases, the contributing factors come back to the same root causes: skipped steps, inadequate planning, and crews without the right training.
Spring and early summer bring the highest volume of ground disturbance activity. More crews in the field, more projects breaking ground, more pressure to move fast. That combination is where gaps in training become incidents.
In provinces where Ground Disturbance Level II is required for supervisory roles, having an uncertified supervisor overseeing excavation work isn’t just a safety issue. It’s compliance exposure. It creates liability. And if something goes wrong on site, certification records are among the first things regulators ask for.
Danatec’s corporate training solutions make it straightforward to certify teams at scale. Assign courses in bulk, track completions, and keep records in one place. No chasing certificates. No manual follow-up. If you’re managing crews across multiple sites in multiple provinces, the province-specific versions of Level II mean you can get every supervisor certified to the right standard for their jurisdiction.
Getting Certified This Dig Safe Month
April is the right time to take care of this. The busy season is starting. Projects are getting scheduled. If there are supervisors or crew leads on your team who need Level II certification, waiting until the work is already underway isn’t a plan.
Danatec offers ground disturbance training across Canada, with province-specific certifications for Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Courses are online and self-paced, built to get workers certified on their schedule without disrupting active projects.
For workers who operate across multiple provinces, provincial add-ons are available for each jurisdiction. Adding a provincial certification to your existing Level II takes only one additional hour of training and delivers a full province-specific credential. It’s a practical option for crews that move between Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba on the same projects.
For teams working outside of those four provinces, the Ground Disturbance Best Practices course covers Canadian Common Ground Alliance Best Practices that keep crews working safely after the certificate is earned.
This Dig Safe Month, use promo code DIGSAFE20 for 20% off Ground Disturbance courses, including Level I, Level II, Best Practices, and the Handbook. Valid through April 30, 2026. Please note that this coupon code excludes bundles and add-ons.
Not sure which course is right for your team? Our training team can help you with that. Give us a call at 1-800-465-3366 or send us an email at sales@danatec.com
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