POWERLINE SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK – MAY 11-15

This week is Powerline Safety Awareness week in Ontario, but for the men and women who work around these high voltage lines regularly, every day is filled with safety and awareness. The risks involved with coming in contact with a powerline leave no room for error, and it is critical to stay alert and mindful of your surroundings. According to the electrical safety association, powerline contact is still the leading cause of electrical-related deaths in Ontario.

Not only are heavy construction workers at risk of coming in contact with powerlines, but homeowners also need to be extra cautious. Whether you are cleaning eaves troughs, or erecting a new fence on your front lawn, be warned that powerlines are present, and they are live! It’s not just overhead wires that can be potentially harmful, but wires buried beneath the ground can be struck and cause injury to you, as well as power outages for your neighbours. Before doing any kind of digging outside, be sure to get in contact with Ontario One Call. They offer a free service to locate all underground utilities, including buried electrical cables, on request. Visit http://www.on1call.com/ for more info.

In honour of Powerline Safety Awareness week, our workers wanted to share some of their safety wisdom with the students at Hillcrest Progressive School. They stopped in on their lunch break this Monday to give the kids an inside look at the machines used to help dig the trenches where the concrete encased ducts will house the new electrical cables. According to the school’s administrators, the kids had a great time…and so did the Powerline Plus crews! Martin Mcghee, a seasoned Powerline Plus Foreman, has been working on Phase 4 of the Hogg’s Hollow Underground Rebuild Project for the past few weeks. “It’s great to be able to engage with the communities we work in” Martin says, “this type of thing doesn’t take any time out of our day and it makes the kids really happy, so it’s worth it”.

It’s important to educate your children on the dangers that high voltage wires possess. The Electrical Safety Association (ESA) provides 3 useful reminders to share with your kids:

  1. Don’t fly toys near lines. Keep kites, remote control helicopters, drones and other airborne toys well away from powerlines.
  2. Electrical equipment is not safe for play. Don’t play on or near the ground-mounted green transformer boxes on lawns or in parks. Never climb utility poles.
  3. Check before tree climbing. Never climb trees that are near or touching powerlines. Look carefully for hidden powerlines covered by branches and leaves.

For more info on powerline safety visit www.esasafe.com