NRSPP Utilities Forum 2.0 2025
Ausgrid Hosts NRSPP’s 2025 Utilities Forum 2.0, Showcasing EV Transition & New Safety Insights
Ausgrid has hosted the National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP)’s 2025 Utilities Forum 2.0 (UF2.0) in Sydney, bringing together leading utility providers from across Australia to collaborate on improving fleet safety, sustainability, and workforce engagement.
Now in its tenth year—and third under the refreshed UF2.0 structure—the forum convened 13 organisations for an intensive three-day program from 4–6 November, designed to openly share practices and benchmark progress toward safer and cleaner transport operations. The forum was held under Chatham House Rules to enable frank discussion and knowledge exchange.
Transition Takes Centre Stage at ‘End of the ICE Age’
The traditional ICE Breaker session kicked off the event with the theme “The End of the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) Age”, featuring case studies from Ausgrid, Essential Energy and Hydro Tasmania—three of the nation’s most advanced adopters of electric vehicles (EVs).
The session highlighted different organisational approaches to electrification, yet a consistent message emerged: people and change management is the success factor.
“Infrastructure can be built and technology purchased, but engaging and supporting workers through the transition is what delivers results,” one presenter noted.
NRSPP confirmed it will publish a detailed case study in 2026 on Ausgrid’s EV journey, focusing on how safety and environmental priorities can be aligned rather than seen in conflict.
Benchmarking Reveals Trends in Driver Behaviour & Fleet Risk
The UF2.0 Benchmarking Forum presented the latest findings from comprehensive annual data collection that includes:
- Workforce surveys
- Manager surveys
- Organisational performance and safety metrics
With participation now in its third consecutive year for many organisations, the dataset has matured enough to show meaningful trends and measurable change.
Key discussion themes included:
- Crash and incident performance
- Driver versus manager perceptions of near-miss reporting
- Distraction and fatigue trends
- Heavy vehicle risks within utility operations
- LCV payload pressures
- Carbon and sustainability progress
The forum also supports each organisation with tailored debriefs, helping turn insights into action plans and providing guidance for communicating outcomes across workforce, management, and executive leadership.
A new ESG reporting package was showcased to help convert UF2.0 data into board-level reporting.
New Heavy Vehicle Sub-Group to Be Established
A major outcome of this year’s forum was the agreement to form a UF2.0 Heavy Vehicle Sub-Group to develop a consistent sector-wide approach to heavy vehicle risk management. A particular challenge highlighted was the “dual-hat” operational model—where workers switch between driving and technical roles multiple times a day, raising chain-of- responsibility and fatigue management considerations.
Partners Witness Live ANCAP Crash Test
To close the 2025 forum, attendees visited Crash Labs to observe an ANCAP crash test\ firsthand. ANCAP representatives briefed participants on forthcoming 2026 testing protocols, outlining implications for fleet procurement, safety features, and vehicle suitability for utility environments.
Special Thanks
The NRSPP would like to thank Dr Lucia Kelleher of Integrated Research for providing the research support and passion that underpins the UF2.0’s benchmarking process.
