May 12, 2015 - It’s May – and Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative is celebrating National Electrical Safety Month. While safety for our members is top priority year-round, Electrical Safety Month is a time to acknowledge the importance of safety excellence.
Outdoor Work Safety
One critical part of safety around electricity is awareness. With outdoor work, you can easily find yourself in dangerous proximity to overhead lines. Being aware of the location of those wires can help reduce accidents. DETEC urges outdoor workers to remember these guidelines:
• Keep a 10-foot minimum distance around power lines. That means 10 feet above, below and to the sides of power lines.
• It can be difficult to judge from the driver’s seat how close a piece of machinery is to electric lines. Have someone on site to guide you.
•Remember that power lines and other utilities run underground, too. Call 811 to have utility lines marked before you start digging.
• Use caution when handling long items such as ladders and rods. Coming too close to a power line can cause electricity to arc, or “jump,” to conducting material or objects.
• Be aware of increased height when loading and transporting tractors on trailer beds. Many tractors are now equipped with radios and communications systems with very tall antennas extending from the cab, which could make contact with power lines.
• Never attempt to raise or move a power line to clear a path.
• Remember, even nonmetallic materials such as lumber, tree limbs, tires, ropes and hay will conduct electricity depending on dampness, dust and dirt contamination.
• If you hit a pole’s guy wire and break it, call the cooperative to fix it. Do not do it yourself. Guy wires, used to stabilize utility poles, are grounded. However, when a guy wire is broken, it can cause an electric current disruption. This can make those neutral wires anything but harmless.
Outdoor Play – Children’s Safety
Your safety is a top priority, and it’s even more important when it comes to kids. They don’t always know—or remember—what can be dangerous, so it’s up to all of us to watch out for their safety.
Safety rules for power lines:
• Don’t plant trees or install tall playground equipment under or near power lines.
• Don’t build tree houses in trees near electric lines.
• Don’t allow children to climb trees growing near electric lines. Teach your children to always look up to check for power¬ lines before climbing trees or any tall objects. Never climb a power pole.
• Keep children away from ladders, poles or work equipment that may be near power lines.
• Obey signs that say “danger” and “keep out” around large electrical equipment, like substations. These signs aren’t warnings; they’re commands to keep you safe.
And the No. 1 safety rule for everyone to remember is this: Don’t touch a power line or anything that’s touching a power line. No one can tell simply by looking at a line whether it is energized or not, and contact with a power line can be deadly. If there’s water nearby, don’t go in it. Water is the best conductor of electricity. Remember, electricity always seeks the easiest path to reach the ground, and, unfortunately, human beings are good conductors of electricity. Be mindful of your surroundings while working or enjoying the outdoors!
