Avove Colleagues Nominated for Safe Digging Hero Award
Avove celebrates two colleagues being shortlisted for LSBUD safe digging awards
At Avove we are committed to Health & Safety excellence and remain dedicated to keeping colleagues, customers, clients and contractors safe as part of our Work Together > Safe Together ethos. It is this commitment that has seen two of our colleagues, Carl Flint and Gareth Williams, shortlisted in the annual LineSearch Before U Dig (LSBUD) National Safe Digging Awards (also known as ‘The Larries’ in the Safe Digging Hero category. As a business, one of our key processes has been nominated for an award in the Best Damage Reporting category.
What are ‘The Larries?’
LSBUD are also passionate about Health & Safety, and have made it their mission to reduce injuries, deaths and damages caused by asset strikes. As part of this commitment, they speak to companies and individuals from across the industry that are actively working to support this goal, which led to the formation of ‘The Larries’ in 2023.
The LSBUD Safe Digging Awards recognise exceptional Health & Safety standards. Five entries are shortlisted per category, with winners announced at the LSBUD National Damage Prevention Day in June 2025 at St George’s Park, Burton on Trent. The shortlisting is overseen by the LSBUD team, with a final vote determined by a larger panel of around 50 people, all of whom vote individually and anonymously.
What LSBUD Award categories have Avove and our colleagues have been shortlisted for?
Two of our colleagues have been shortlisted for the Safe Digging Hero category – Carl Flint, Streetworks Coordinator, and Gareth Williams, Site Manager. This category recognises a colleague or peer that has shown unwavering commitment to safe digging and has gone above and beyond to ensure works are carried out safely.
The Safe Digging Hero category also recognises those individuals that have reacted especially well to an incident or near miss, using it as a learning experience to improve their own, or others, working practices.
Additionally, our ‘Locate, Mark, Avoid, Protect’ process has been shortlisted for the Best Damage Reporting Process. This category is designed to reward the company that has shown the most commitment to recording damages or near misses over a measured period, after we achieved a 50% reduction in incidents across the business in 2024.
Health and safety will always be a priority for Avove and our team
Speaking about the award shortlisting, Avove’s Head of HSEQ, Liz Groundland, stated:
“As a company, we have worked so hard to build a culture that values safe and responsible working, empowering the wider team to lead by their own example. Health & Safety will always be our priority, and so it’s really pleasing to see both Carl and Gareth recognised for their contributions to upholding these high standards.
“Given that one of our primary objectives has been to reduce utility strikes, it’s great to see our 50% reduction acknowledged in the Best Damage Reporting category too. As a company, we monitor our monthly results and continuously review our business-wide operations to ensure long-term service improvements are delivered.”
Streetworks Coordinator and LSBUD award nominee, Carl Flint said:
“I feel honoured to have been nominated for the Safe Digging Hero Award. I have 27 years of service to the company, the first 19 of which involved me being in charge of an excavation team, and I am now a member of Avove’s HSEQ team. As such, I will continue to provide 100% commitment to safe digging practice.”
Fellow nominee and Avove Site Manager, Gareth Williams, added:
“I am delighted to be one of the finalists for the Safe Digging Hero award, it feels great to be recognised for my commitment to making sure everyone on site goes home safe to their families. Afterall, that is what I strive for every single day.”
Building a safe and sustainable future
We are delighted to have been shortlisted for two categories at this year’s LSBUD Awards and it is even more pleasing to see our hard-working colleagues being recognised for their ongoing commitments to safer working. This isn’t the first time we’ve been recognised for our Health & Safety excellence this year, having recently secured a twelfth consecutive RoSPA Award too!
Good luck to both Carl and Gareth – we look forward to attending The Larries in June!