This month, NUCA's 2026 Washington Summit will deliver our industry's advocates into Congress with the message to keep water infrastructure resources turned on and flowing to America's communities. Zack delivers an overview of this year's premier industry advocacy event and the important legislation our attendees will be discussing with federal lawmakers and their staff. (16:08)

This edition of NUCA's podcast Dig This! chats with Ed DeNeale about the upcoming Safety & Damage Prevention Conference (SDPC), Sept. 15-18, 2026. This is the must-attend industry safety event of the year — packed with three high-energy days of cutting-edge speakers, real-world solutions, and powerful networking at Louisville’s iconic The Brown Hotel.

In this episode, Ed discusses the conference's sessions on transportation accidents, risk management, mental health in the workplace, the latest OSHA updates, emergency preparedness, rethinking trench safety, and a fresh 811 update. Ed also talks about future SDPC events and NUCA's safety program over the next 12 months.

Learn more here: https://nuca.com/safety-damage-prevention-conference/

Safety consumes our nation's trenching and excavation industry, and NUCA leads the way. This episode's guest is Skout Raney, NUCA's new Safety Committee chairman. Skout talks about NUCA's safety program, the Safety Committee, our several upcoming safety education events, and what members can do to improve their company's safety culture.