miss utility

R.B. Hinkle Wins Miss Utility Dig Smart Award

Sept. 29, 2017
R.B. Hinkle Construction, a Sterling, Virginia-based underground and overhead utility installation contractor received the 2016-2017 Dig Smart Award in the District of Columbia by the Miss Utility of MD/DC Damage Prevention Committee.

R.B. Hinkle Construction, a Sterling, Virginia-based underground and overhead utility installation contractor received the 2016-2017 Dig Smart Award in the District of Columbia by the Miss Utility of MD/DC Damage Prevention Committee.

 The committee presents two Dig Smart Awards annually to underground utility contractors who have achieved damage prevention excellence, one in Washington D.C. and the other, Maryland, to promote safety and damage prevention in this sector of construction.

“We are honored to receive this award,” says R.B. Hinkle President Dina Holstead. “The safety of everyone at all times, from employees and management to the public and environment, is the driving force behind the way we conduct our business and live our lives. This is ingrained into our underground utility damage prevention mindset and training,” she adds.

To be eligible for this award, nominated companies must submit a detailed description of damage prevention procedures, training, statistics and involvement in damage prevention meetings, conferences and trade organizations which then undergoes an evaluation by a select panel of industry experts to determine the awardees.

It represents a strong partnership and teamwork with Miss Utility and the committee to continually work toward underground damage prevention and public safety goals.

R.B. Hinkle believes that their "safety as a core value" safety excellence program and management practices contributed to this recognition of their safety record. R.B. Hinkle’s three-day new hire safety orientation includes training in a 3 ft x 22 ft x 7 ft pit filled with primary cable, conduit, a gas main and gas riser for testing.

Award recipients will be invited to the 2017 Greater Chesapeake Damage Prevention Training Conference Oct. 24-27, 2017 in Ocean City, Maryland, where they will be presented to peers as damage prevention leaders.

Holstead, adds, “This is exciting. It feels good for our employees to know that their steadfast commitment to safety and damage prevention is being fortified by such an esteemed organization.”

R.B. Hinkle is a subsidiary of PLH Group, an infrastructure construction solutions company servicing the United States and Canada. 

About the Author

Amy Fischbach | Amy Fischbach, EUO Contributing Editor

Amy Fischbach is the Field Editor for T&D World magazine and manages the Electric Utility Operations section. She is the host of the Line Life Podcast, which celebrates the grit, courage and inspirational teamwork of the line trade.  She also works on the annual Lineworker Supplement and the Vegetation Management Supplement as well as the Lineman Life and Lineman's Rodeo News enewsletters. Amy also covers events such as the Trees & Utilities conference and the International Lineman's Rodeo. She is the past president of the ASBPE Educational Foundation and ASBPE and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Kansas State University. She can be reached at [email protected]

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