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Interview
Damage limitation
Protecting over 60 per cent of the UK ’ s utility infrastructure , Richard Broome shares how LSBUD has become the national safe digging service
The great thing about Linesearch BeforeUdig ( LSBUD ) is that it doesn ’ t take a branding expert to say why it exists ; it exists to keep people safe ,” begins Richard Broome , Managing Director . “ Everything we do goes back to that one question of how we can help people to work safely ; to reduce the risk of damages and incidents that could put people ’ s health at risk .”
Richard is a fully qualified RICS Chartered Surveyor , CAAV Agricultural Valuer and APC Assessor providing consistent delivery of high-quality land agency management and maintenance services in the utilities and infrastructure sector through various roles . Having worked for Fisher German LLP , one of LSBUD ’ s parent companies , for six years , Richard was seconded to LSBUD 11 years ago , a joint venture between Fisher German LLP and PelicanCorp , where he continues to work as Managing Director today .
“ The foundation for LSBUD is as a platform to help people find out where things are under the ground , but also overhead , prior to arriving on site so that the necessary steps can be taken to reduce risk associated with project works . Whether working on a project like HS2 or putting a pond in the back garden , there are labyrinthine utility pipe systems delivering the services we often take for granted . So , we help to keep those essential services running ,” he shares .
The company offers a free-to-use safe digging service providing utility asset maps for over 3.9 million searches every year . It strives to reduce injuries and deaths due to asset strikes , to ensure a prompt and accurate response to all enquiries , to increase its members ’ knowledge of proposed works near their assets and to promote LSBUD as a key enquiry service in Great Britain .
LSBUD ’ s parent company , PelicanCorp , is a niche provider of software and services to utilities , asset owners and
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