Youth Energy Safe Equips Students With Information About Underground Utility Safety

In 2014, TransCanada launched a new program called Youth Energy Safe. The program is delivered in schools and at community events, and equips students in Grades 4 to 6 and 10 to 12 with information about underground utility safety, focusing on leak recognition and response, emergency preparedness and safe digging practices. It is our first youth-focused safety program and was created in response to requests from educators and community members looking to share pipeline safety messaging with a younger audience.

TransCanada piloted the program in Alberta and reached more than 2,000 students and more than 100 educators through classroom presentations and Safety Days, community-based agriculture safety events targeted at children and teens. We’re dedicated to keeping the next generation of stakeholders safe through awareness and education.

In the fall of 2014, Grade 5 students at Calgary’s Langevin School had the chance to locate a pipeline hidden under Astroturf, learn the colours of different underground utility flags and smell a scratch-and-sniff surprise to help identify the scent of natural gas.

The Youth Energy Safe program reinforces Click-Before-You-Dig messaging and helps the students better identify potential leaks and learn how to respond.

“The Youth Energy Safe program is a result of significant research and input from students and teachers. It’s another piece of TransCanada’s comprehensive public awareness program that is designed to keep our stakeholders safe,” says Michelle Wagner, program manager, public awareness at TransCanada.

Learn more about how TransCanada protects communities in the safety section of the 2014 CSR Report.