AEM recently hosted more than 40 officials from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & and Health Administration (OSHA) and offered a first-hand look at how equipment manufacturers engineer products with worker safety top of mind.

The inaugural Below Ground Worker Safety Demonstration Day, held June 2 at BF Joy, a Washington, DC-area utility contractor located in Hyattsville, Maryland, focused on: utility line locating, horizontal directional drilling, vacuum excavation, contractor safety programs and trench safety from both the equipment and contractor perspectives.

“AEM is committed to proactively addressing regulatory concerns affecting the construction and utility sectors, and events like this serve as a uniquely valuable and effective forum for establishing working relationships with regulatory agencies for the benefit of the equipment manufacturing industry and the customers it serves,” said AEM Vice President, Construction and Utility Sector, John Somers.

Stations featured equipment and experts from several AEM member companies, including Ditch Witch, Subsite, TRUVAC, US Radar and Vermeer. Additional equipment provided by Sunbelt Rentals and United Rentals were also on site.

A number of partner associations also played critical roles in the event’s success: Associated General Contractors (AGC), Distribution Contractors Association (DCA), American Pipeline Contractors Association (APCA), Common Ground Alliance (CGA), National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA), Power & Communications Contractors Association (PCCA) and North America Excavation Safety Association (NAXSA).

“AEM has held seven demonstration days for regulators in the U.S. and Canada that work in the agriculture sector,” said AEM Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs Nick Tindall. “This was AEM’s first event focused on the CE Sector, and it will serve as a model for us moving forward.”

Watch a video of this year’s Below Ground Worker Safety Demonstration Day:

For more information on AEM’s inaugural Below Ground Worker Safety Demonstration Day, contact AEM’s Nick Tindall at ntindall@aem.org.

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