April: the start of spring, baseball, construction ramping up in many areas, and National Safe Digging Month.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) supports the April National Safe Digging Month initiative of the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) and encourages underground utility industry professionals to always think safety on the jobsite.

Association tools to help the off-road equipment industry foster safety best practices include an Underground Utility Awareness Campaign initiated last year. Resources include:

• “Top 10 list of underground utility myths” with accompanying facts for safe utility installation, repair and maintenance

• Video and informational flyer describing how “Everyone plays a part” to help ensure underground utility safety and damage prevention

“Safe machinery operation and job preparation saves lives, and all industry stakeholders contribute to the success of any utility excavation and/or installation,” stated William “Bernie” Bernhard, AEM technical and safety services manager.

Machinery covered in the AEM Underground Utility Awareness Campaign includes horizontal directional drills, vacuum excavators, trenchers and related underground equipment. Several AEM working committees of manufacturer members helped develop campaign ideas and scope.

Manufacturers and AEM are committed to safety, and AEM also offers an extensive array of manufacturer-developed safety manuals, videos and related training materials. Visit www.safetymaterials.org for more information.

In addition to CGA, AEM is active in many organizations, coalitions and programs advancing safety. Visit www.aem.org for more information on AEM activities.