October 26, 2026
The British Drilling Association (BDA) welcomed delegates from across the drilling, ground investigation and wider construction sectors, including key client organisations, to its annual conference at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in London on 21 October 2026.
Held during the Association’s 50th anniversary year, ‘Drilling Horizons 2026 and Beyond’ provided a platform for industry-wide discussion on driller competence, sustainability, technical standards, data, emerging technologies and the ongoing safety challenges associated with working below ground.
Opening the conference, BDA Chair David Bradley reflected on the increasing expectations placed on the industry by clients, regulators and the wider construction sector. He emphasised the importance of raising standards, supporting the workforce and sharing experience, while highlighting the BDA’s role in promoting guidance, training and constructive debate.
Paul McMann, Chair of the BDA Training & Education Sub-Committee, opened the programme with an update on the Driller Competency Super Sector initiative. He questioned whether the numerous cards and qualifications required on sites, albeit important in their own right, always demonstrate competence in the drilling tasks being undertaken. Outlining work towards a clearer route from new entrant and support operative to competent lead driller, he explored task-specific training, vocational qualifications, BDA audits and reassessment. Although elements of the proposed framework remain unresolved, the central message was that competence must be demonstrated in practice, and there must be a clear pathway for the industry.
Alison Randall, Chair of the BDA Sustainability Sub-Committee, followed with ‘Beneath the Surface: Driving Sustainability in the Drilling Industry’, a call for sustainability to become part of everyday operations. With procurement requirements and carbon reporting increasingly influential, she highlighted recording fuel use, reducing idling and unnecessary journeys, maintaining plant, considering lower-emission alternatives and improving waste management. Alison also recognised the challenges facing smaller contractors when clients’ reporting expectations differ and resources are limited. The Sub-Committee’s first meeting is planned for November, with practical, proportionate approaches and collaboration high on its agenda.
The networking lunch and accompanying exhibition provided opportunities to exchange ideas with suppliers, colleagues and clients, with United Utilities and National Highways represented among those attending. Better information and earlier collaboration became recurring themes during the afternoon sessions.
A valuable client perspective came from United Utilities in ‘Aligning for Success: Safety, Data, and AI in Modern Ground Investigation Frameworks’. Pam Rigby and Andrew Thompson discussed the company’s substantial AMP8 investment programme and £170 million ground investigation framework. They highlighted the shortage of skilled drillers and recurring concerns around service strikes, guarding, lifting equipment and deep machine-excavated trial pits. The session emphasised closer communication between clients, designers and contractors before investigations are specified, allowing the scope and methods of work to be challenged and improved early.
The presentation also considered better sharing of digital ground investigation records, including AGS data, from fieldwork through to interpretation and future projects. Artificial intelligence was discussed as a potential aid to early risk identification and programme planning, while recognising that engineering decisions still require substantial human judgement and verification.
Lee Healey, Chair of the BDA Technical & Standards Sub-Committee, examined changing requirements for working around buried services, including HSG47, PAS 128:2022 and Network Rail’s updated standard NR/L2/OHS/1030. He outlined the importance of understanding the hierarchy of records, site reconnaissance, detection and physical verification. Lee also highlighted the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) as a useful resource for early planning and design, while cautioning that records may be incomplete or inaccurate and cannot replace appropriate site checks and safe systems of work.
A cable-strike case study brought these issues into focus. Despite service records, scans, markings and a permit process, the incident raised questions about the investigation scope and risks passed to those carrying out the work. The lesson was that designers, consulting engineers and ground investigation contractors must challenge assumptions together and seek to get it right first time, before drilling or excavation begins.
The final session, an interactive health and safety panel, chaired by Kostas Tsiminis of the BDA Health & Safety Sub-Committee, asked: ‘Breaking the Cycle – Why Do We Keep Seeing the Same Safety Incidents?’. Drawing on BDA injury data, it examined recurring machinery contact, struck-by incidents, slips and trips, and lifting and handling injuries, with hands and fingers particularly exposed. The discussion considered why procedures and training do not always prevent repetition, and how changes to equipment, task design and site layout can remove exposure. Once again, the need for clients, consulting engineers and contractors to address safety together at the earliest project stages came to the fore.
Across the conference, one message emerged consistently: improving safety, competence, sustainability and technical delivery requires closer collaboration throughout the project lifecycle. The event offered a useful forum for discussing how the sector can put that principle into practice.
The BDA thanks the speakers, panellists, exhibitors and delegates, with particular thanks to Headline Sponsor John Lawrie Tubulars and Gold Sponsor WJ for their support.