Ward Electric Company, Inc. is proud to announce that it has completed the Gold Shovel Standard (GSS) certification process through the Gold Shovel Association (GSA).
The certification means that Ward Electric is a certified excavator and has met the standard set forth by the GSA while committing to uphold safe excavation practices around underground facilities. Once a company is certified, it has 120 days to get everyone through it. Ward Electric intends to have everyone through the Golden Shovel program by the end of February.
“We fully embrace the Gold Shovel Standard and feel it is a great program,” said Donald Zaruba, Safety Director at Ward Electric. “It gives safety an opportunity to get the information about excavation and locates out to everyone. That way, everyone is informed and on the same page. We also want our clients to know that they are in good hands, that safety is our No. 1 priority and that we are always willing to take extra time and precautions when it comes to excavation and utilities.”
Gold Shovel Standard is a nonprofit organization committed to improving workforce and public safety and the integrity of buried infrastructure. GSS believes that greater transparency in all aspects of damage prevention among buried asset operators, locators and excavators is essential to drive continuous improvement, and vital to increasingly safe working conditions and communities.