• Electrical Safety
• Landscaping Around Power Lines
• Maintenance Programs
• Use of Back-Up Generators
• Outage Information
• Call Before You Dig!

Don't Become a Power Line Casualty  |  Test Your Electricity Knowledge

[Source: Energy Feature, Ruralite Magazine, August 2005]

All it takes for electricity carried through power lines to find its way to the ground is a conductor. That can be you.

A tall piece of machinery, a television antenna, a metal ladder, an irrigation pipe, a damp wooden pole or a human hand touching both an electrical wire and the ground will complete the circuit and conduct electricity. Stay safe near power lines:

• Use wooden or fiberglass ladders instead of metal. Never place a ladder or antenna where it can fall into a power line. Carry ladders, irrigation pipe and long-handled tools low enough to avoid contacting power lines.
  
• Before digging into the ground, make sure you will not come in contact with power lines or other utilities. Call and have underground lines marked.
  
• Plan your landscape around power lines. Do not plant tall-growing trees under lines. If a tree has lines running through it, do not climb it or build anything in it.
  
• Never fly kites, model airplanes or metallic balloons near power lines or in stormy weather. Use only dry string. Avoid using metal or wire on kites. If your kite or balloon gets snagged on overhead lines, call your utility.
  
• Teach children to stay away from utility substation fences and pad-mounted transformers and to heed danger signs displayed on all high-voltage equipment. If you see a substation fence or transformer cabinet that has been vandalized, call your utility immediately.
  
• Never shoot or damage utility equipment. It is not only dangerous, it is illegal. When insulators are shot out, power flowing over the line can go to ground, having the potential to cause serious injury or death. Report vandalism to your local law enforcement agency.