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The Rural Missouri NEWS Service April 2007 | June 2007 | September 2007 | October 2007 | November 2007 | December 2007 |
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September 2007 Harvest Time is Safety Time Fall harvest gets underway across Missouri this month and now is a good time to remind you to be safe around overhead power lines. Every year, it seems, tragedy occurs when someone gets in too big of a hurry wanting to beat the weather to the grain bin. By taking a few precautions early in the harvest you can prevent these tragedies from taking place. Before you get started on this year’s harvest, gather your crew together and have a serious talk. Begin by explaining that overhead electric power lines are not insulated. Anything coming into contact with these lines can cause electrocution. This includes grain augers, hay stackers, cotton balers, front end loaders, fold-up cultivators, combines, metal ladders, irrigation pipe and even wood if it’s wet enough to carry electricity. Perhaps the most common electric contact accident comes when grain augers are accidentally raised or pulled into overhead lines. Before raising or moving these or any other pieces of farm equipment, first look up. If there’s any chance, even a remote one, that the equipment might contact power lines, move it to a safe location. Never attempt to raise the line to allow additional clearance. Instead, find another route that is safe or contact your utility to have the line moved. Raising it with a stick or any other method risks electrocution. Accidents have also taken place when driving large machinery into the field. You can’t take for granted that just because that combine fit under the power lines last year that it will again this year. Drifting soil, additional air pressure in the tires or changes to the machinery may have caused the clearance to change. Always have someone spot you from a safe distance when driving tall machinery under power lines. If you are stacking hay outside, be sure you do this far away from power lines. Children love to climb on hay bales. If yours are stored near a power line, children could come into contact with the lines. Also, those moving the hay to the fields later could contact these lines. Once the harvest is done and you are preparing the fields for next year, be sure to watch for poles and guy wires in your fields. Make sure your helpers know any areas of potential problems. This is especially important if you work at night. If your tractor does break a guy wire or hit a pole, be sure to contact your electric cooperative and let them know. Guy wires are necessary to keep power lines and poles where they belong. If one gets damaged, it needs to be repaired as soon as possible. If a pole is cracked, it may not fall when the accident happened. But that pole might be the one that causes you or your neighbors to lose power on a stormy winter night. We’d rather fix it now than have it break later. Together we can make this the safest harvest yet. Please be careful out there! Those Green Boxes in Your Yard are Transformers Children have very inquiring minds. Nothing fascinates them more than climbing on things and watching machinery work. Some watch the electric cooperative trucks that come by their house and work nearby. Then they pretend to be a lineman. As the utility industry grows, new and proven techniques are constantly being used. One of the most common is the pad-mount transformer for underground utilities, which actually sits on top of the ground. The power lines run underground, an increasingly popular choice for many new homes. Pad-mount transformers come in all shapes and sizes, but all have the same dangers – and all are tempting for youngsters to climb on. As a precaution you should never let anyone sit on, play on or around any of these transformers. You might think we are only talking to the kids, but we also see grownups on and around them, too. One of our goals is to educate the public about the equipment electric cooperatives have in the field. If you should ever find one of these transformers left open, or if anything else looks unusual to you, contact your local electric cooperative immediately. One of the main purposes of having underground utilities is so clearing trees from the right of way will not be an issue. Some consumers have the idea that the green box sitting out there in their yard is an eyesore. Consumers will then plant trees and bushes around it. That eyesore is the workhorse that transforms the power from high-voltage transmission to a voltage your television, computer and those cordless phones can use. They may look like an eyesore to some in the daylight, but to a lineman working trouble at night it could be a beacon of light. When the power is off, it is critical for a lineman to be able to find those transformers. All plants and shrubs should be kept back at least 10 feet from the transformer box. This will be important to you when it is your power that goes out. Remember too that there is an underground cable going from this transformer to your home and to the rest of the power grid. Cutting into this cable with a shovel or machinery will at the least cause an outage and at the worse could electrocute you. If you need to dig in your yard, you can call your local cooperative or the Missouri “One Call” number (1-800-DIG-RITE or nationwide 811) for assistance in locating underground lines. Further, if you have any questions regarding safety around any electrical equipment whether it is overhead or underground, please call you local cooperative and they will be glad to assist you. Electrical Safety in the home & garden For most people, the home is a place where friends and family can come together, rest and relax. However, if electrical appliances are not maintained or used properly, this safe haven can be diminished in a matter of seconds. Electrical appliances within the home are part of our everyday life — from the toaster, heater, hair curler and blow dryer to the microwave, television, and stereo. If these appliances are not maintained, stored or used properly, they can pose a serious safety hazard. Here are some safety precautions for the electrical appliances in the home:
Electrical appliances can also be found outside of the home, being used to mow the lawn, trim bushes and flowers and cut tree limbs. Appliances that are used for yard work should be labeled for outdoor use. Here are some tips for practicing safety when working with electrical appliances outside of the home:
8 smart ways to protect your family from electrical hazards
Watch out for our workers As temperatures begin to moderate this fall, our line crews will be out in force working to make sure your electric service is trouble free. You can help by watch-ing for our crews along the roadside. Be on the alert for “Men Working” signs and slow down when you pass. You can help prevent tragedy by giving them a “brake.” |
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