Underground Safety Board Education and Outreach Meeting
Date/Time
Date(s) - September 8, 2025 - September 9, 2025
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Join the Underground Safety Board’s 2025 Education and Outreach Meeting, September 8 and 9, a free two-day event on Sharing What Works, Shaping What’s Next for excavation safety. On September 8 the meeting will begin at 1 p.m. and on September 9 at 9 a.m. In-person experiences include interactive learning, meeting Board Members, networking opportunities, and exhibitor tables.
Pursuant to Government Code Section 4216.17, the Board holds its Annual Education and Outreach Meeting to understand the existing needs and to facilitate discussion on how to coordinate existing education and outreach efforts with state and local government agencies, California operators, one-call centers, and trade associations to encourage safe excavation practices.
Watch the Presentations
Recordings of the presentations from this event may be found here.
September 8, 2025
September 9, 2025
Who should attend?
This meeting is free and open to the public. The Education and Outreach Meeting is designed for excavators, operators, utilities, damage prevention experts, safety managers, policymakers, government leaders, and interested community members.
Register to attend on Monday, September 8
Register to attend on Tuesday, September 9
Featured Speakers: Underground Safety Board Education and Outreach and Investigations subject matter experts, Kinder Morgan, Excav811, Esri, SMUD, USA North 811
Exhibitors: 2M Engineering, Bad Elf, BOSS811, Ditch Witch, Irth 811spotter, Locating Dynamics, PelicanCorp, Point One Navigation, SMUD, Tempo Communications, Vivax Metrotech
Schedule of Events and Exhibitor Directory:
See the full Schedule of Events below or download the Schedule of Events and Exhibitor Guide.
Monday, September 8, 2025
12 p.m.
Registration and Exhibitor Tables Open
1 p.m.
Event Kickoff and Safety Briefing, and Opening Remarks from Underground Safety Board Acting Executive Officer Brittny Branaman
1:25 p.m.
The California Underground Safety Board: Improving Excavation Safety
Jessica Rzeszut, Chief of Education and Outreach at the Underground Safety Board, will present a brief introduction to the Board and the distinctive approach it is taking to improve safety around underground infrastructure.
1:50 p.m.
Education and Outreach Activities Report
DigAlert and USA North 811 will provide updates on their education and outreach activities.
2:15 p.m.
Dig Ticket Management in the Eyes of the Contractor
Logan Downer, Co-Founder and General Manager at Excav811, will present the real-world cost of getting dig ticket management wrong, best practices for safety, compliance and efficiency, and making sure you are always compliant prior to digging.
2:50 p.m.
Networking and Exhibitor Table Break
3:55 p.m.
Damage Prevention, Why Is It Important? – Evolution of Best Practices
Brian Snead, Damage Prevention/ROW Specialist at Kinder Morgan, will review Kinder Morgan’s current procedures and best practices as they pertain to Damage Prevention and Public Awareness.
4:40 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
8 a.m.
Registration and Exhibitor Tables
9 a.m.
Day Two Kickoff and Safety Briefing, and Keynote Address from Energy Safety Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs
9:35 a.m.
Coordinated Statewide Education and Outreach Workshops Update
Jessica Rzeszut, Chief of Education and Outreach at the Underground Safety Board, will present the final findings and outcomes of the Board’s Coordinated Statewide Education and Outreach Workshops.
10:15 a.m.
Navigating Underground Safety Board Online Resources
Brittany Friedman, Education and Outreach Ambassador at the Underground Safety Board, will present the Underground Safety Board website, its resources on underground safety practices, and the importance of having these tools at your disposal. Attendees will learn how to get involved with the Board’s work, file a damage report, and access meeting materials and educational resources.
10:35 a.m.
Networking and Exhibitor Table Break
10:55 a.m.
USA North 811 Educational Resources
Collin Miyadi, Director of Marketing and Education at USA North 811, will present on available educational resources provided to professional excavators, utility operators, and homeowners.
11:30 a.m.
Staying Compliant and Safe: SB 778 Information Bulletin
Alexandra Augér, Education and Outreach Ambassador at the Underground Safety Board, will introduce the Board’s SB 778 Information Bulletin, which was released in December 2024 to alert stakeholders of changes to the Dig Safe Act that took effect January 1, 2025. This presentation will provide an overview of the Bulletin and how it highlights key changes that impact excavator, operator, and all stakeholder responsibilities.
11:55 a.m.
Lunch and Exhibitor Table Break
1:30 p.m.
Unlocking Underground Insights: GIS Tools and Techniques for Utility Safety
Matt Piper, Global Director for Industry Solutions, and Amadea Azerki, Principal Technical Consultant, at Esri, will introduce how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can empower utilities to better understand and manage underground infrastructure. Attendees will learn foundational workflows for getting started with GIS, explore real-world examples of how utilities have used location-based data to improve visibility and safety, and discover emerging possibilities such as ground penetrating radar and 3D visualization. The presentation is designed to inspire practical applications of GIS for safer excavation and installation.
2:05 p.m.
Digging Deeper: Investigations that Drive Change
Amy Morford, Northern California Supervising Investigator, and Jeff McClenahan, Senior Policy Investigator at the Underground Safety Board, will explore investigative efforts targeting excavation damages caused by failure to contact 811 or providing an electronic positive response to provide insights into these enforcement initiatives, investigations, and actions that can be taken to strengthen damage prevention.
2:55 p.m.
Building a Safer Community: SMUD’s Approach to Enhanced Communication
Ryder Couch, Program Manager, Regulatory Compliance at SMUD, will provide an overview of their implementation of geofencing technology to enhance the safety of its gas pipelines.
3:25 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Materials may be found on the meeting docket.
Location
Auditorium
California Natural Resources Agency
715 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Date/Time
Date(s) – September 8, 2025 – September 9, 2025
September 8, 2025: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
September 9, 2025: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Registration
This meeting is free and open to the public. Registration is not required but will help us plan ahead – and you’ll get event updates and reminders in your inbox.
September 8
Register to attend in person or to join the live Microsoft Teams Meeting
Join Microsoft Teams Meeting without registering
Meeting ID: 254 445 319 241 1
Passcode: wi6TB96z
To join by telephone on September 8, dial:
+1469-998-6045,,8833413609# United States, Dallas
Phone conference ID: 833 413 609#
September 9
Register to attend in person or to join the live Microsoft Teams Meeting
Join Microsoft Teams Meeting without registering
Meeting ID: 259 948 821 086
Passcode: Ut2eT7ys
To join by telephone on September 9, dial:
+1469-998-6045,, 11050973# United States, Dallas
Phone conference ID: 110 509 73#