Public Safety & Security at Dams: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Join us on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, from 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM Eastern for Public Safety & Security at Dams: Two Sides of the Same Coin. Recent trends show that the likelihood of experiencing injuries and fatalities at dams is far greater than experiencing injuries and fatalities from dam failures, and this likelihood is increasing. Similarly, the need to increase security at dams to address terrorist threats, control public access, and protect the resource from harm is increasing.  In response to these increasing risks, dam owners are developing public safety and security plans. 

Fortunately, public safety and site security are not mutually exclusive. A joint approach to evaluating and addressing both concerns can maximize the return on a dam owner’s investment. Solutions to address security can also be used for public safety. The steps and information needed to assess the risks associated with public safety and site security are also similar. Solutions to address both issues emphasize the need to provide public warnings, limiting public access to features that create dangerous conditions and/or are critical to the mission of the dam, and effectively monitoring unauthorized activity around the dam.
This webinar presents concepts from the authors’ experiences on an approach to conducting dam site assessments and preparing public safety and security plans for dams. An approach is presented for conducting a common site assessment that can be used to simultaneously evaluate security and public safety. Additionally, examples of mitigating strategies that could be used to increase site security and minimize the risks associated with injury, accidental death, property damage, and related litigation are shown.

Learning objectives attendees will receive from this webinar:

• Become aware of the changing public safety and security trends at dams.
• Understand how public safety and security at dams can be assessed.
• Become aware of mitigating strategies that could be used to minimize the risks associated with injury, accidental death, property damage, and related litigation.
• Available resources.

PDHS AVAILABLE:

• This course qualifies for 2 PDHs.

REGISTRATION FEES:

• Member Rate: $99
• Non-Member Rate: $130 - Join ASDSO before registering and save!