RC125 JulyAug 2026 - Magazine - Page 26
CONSTRUCTION
A single strike can halt construction for days or weeks,
trigger regulatory investigations, and require costly emergency repairs. Downstream e昀昀ects may include insurance claims, schedule delays, reputational damage, and
strained relationships between owners, contractors, and
utility operators. For linear infrastructure or dense urban
projects, repeated minor strikes can cumulatively erode
project viability.
Workforce constraints also a昀昀ect schedule certainty.
As locate request volumes increase and response times
stretch, projects may face delays before ground disturbance can even begin. In fast-tracked or tightly sequenced
projects, these delays can cascade, disrupting subcontractor mobilization, material deliveries, and other logistical
plans.
From an asset perspective, poor subsurface knowledge
can result in long-term operational vulnerabilities. Facilities that are inadvertently damaged, inadequately protected, or inaccurately documented during construction may
perform poorly over time, increasing maintenance costs
and failure risk. In this way, locating workforce readiness
directly in昀氀uences not only project delivery but also the
lifecycle performance of infrastructure systems.
Industry-led efforts to strengthen the locating profession
In response to these challenges, industry-led initiatives
are emerging to improve career awareness, role clarity,
and competency within the locating sector.
The Canadian Association of Pipeline and Utility
Locating Contractors (CAPULC) is one organization
undertaking such innovative workforce development
initiatives. CAPULC, in collaboration with Jiva Consulting, has led a multi-year initiative to meet the challenge
of recruiting and preparing candidates for this often-overlooked career.
First, CAPULC began working to formalize the locating career, independently developing a series of competency requirements that specify the knowledge and skills
required by locators to be e昀昀ective within their roles.
Later, CAPULC worked with Jiva Consulting to leverage
these competency requirements and develop the Underground Facility Locating and Marking Standard. This
foundational e昀昀ort provided consensus-based technical
and practical guidance to those in the locating 昀椀eld.
Next, CAPULC looked to take on the challenge of
attracting a more sustainable supply of candidates to a
vocation more commonly perceived as a transient 昀椀eld
role. By leveraging career awareness initiatives, CAPULC
aims to shift that perspective and reposition underground
facility locating as a technical career path with progression opportunities, attracting candidates who value
long-term skill development and responsibility. This shift
is especially important for long-term workforce sustainability, as infrastructure owners and policymakers look to
support decades of asset buildout in Canada.
With that, CAPULC and Jiva Consulting collaborated
to launch a career awareness campaign aimed at both
prospective employees and employers. Through the
development of a position pro昀椀le and career roadmap,
CAPULC aims to formalize the entry paths and progression opportunities within the locating career. O昀昀ering
26—RENEW CANADA – JULY/AUGUST 2026
these resources and promoting the position through a
series of career awareness outreach sessions equips job
seekers to make an informed decision in pursuing this
career path.
The next step, targeting employers, is to build on
this understanding and integrate competency-based
assessment into the earliest stages of recruitment, even
before hiring and training begin. Consequently, CAPULC
and Jiva Consulting are developing a UFL Applicant
Pre-Screening Tool, o昀昀ering employers a consistent, competency-aligned way to assess prospective candidates’
problem-solving, judgment, ethics, and interpersonal
capability. The tool is expected to launch in 2026, representing a major step toward a competent and e昀昀ective
locating workforce.
Implications for owners, engineers, and policymakers
For infrastructure owners, the message is clear: a competent, well-prepared locating workforce can minimize asset
risk. Decisions about procurement models, project schedules, and data standards all in昀氀uence the capacity and
quality of locating services. Owners who engage locators
early can therefore reduce downstream risk and improve
lifecycle outcomes.
Engineers play a critical role in integrating subsurface
considerations into design rather than deferring them to
construction. Recognizing the limits of available data and
collaborating with locating professionals during planning
can surface constraints and opportunities that are invisible on paper. This can help optimize the project design
and reduce project execution risk.
Policymakers and regulators also have a stake in supporting infrastructure resilience by supporting initiatives
aimed at these skilled workforces. Regulator support
of industry-led standards, training initiatives, and data
quality improvements can deliver safety and economic
bene昀椀ts that far exceed their cost.
Repositioning locating as foundational infrastructure
Underground facility locating sits at the intersection of
safety, cost control, and system resilience. The current
workforce pressures facing the locating sector expose a
deeper issue: a mismatch between the importance of the
function and how it is valued, planned for, and resourced.
The integral yet often overlooked role of underground
infrastructure in daily life parallels the role of the locator in
modern infrastructure delivery. The locator’s work (like the
water mains and the gas lines) is nearly invisible when it is
done perfectly. But failures and their consequences reveal the
true signi昀椀cance of their work.
Repositioning locating as a foundational component of
modern infrastructure delivery requires a shift in mindset.
It means moving upstream, investing in people as much as
technology, and treating subsurface knowledge as strategic
infrastructure in its own right.
As energy and municipal systems grow more complex and
interconnected, the ability to understand and protect what
lies beneath our feet will only become more critical. Strengthening the locating workforce is not just about 昀椀lling jobs, it is
about safeguarding the reliability, safety, and longevity of the
infrastructure systems that communities depend on.
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