Attaching Objects to Poles Puts Lives on the Line

January 11, 2012

What do yard sale signs, basketball hoops, deer stands, satellite dishes, and birdhouses have in common? They are often found attached to utility poles. This is more than just an inconvenience to electric utilities. In fact, safety issues caused by unapproved pole attachments place the lives of line workers and the public in peril.

It may seem innocent, but a small nail partially driven into a pole can pierce a line workers glove, stripping away critical protection from high-voltage electricity. Objects can also cause climbing gear to “kick out”—lineman’s lingo for the failure of gear to penetrate a pole—possibly exposing a worker to a dangerous or deadly fall.

Unauthorized pole attachments violate the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC); a set of guidelines created for the purpose of safeguarding persons during the installation, operation, or maintenance of electric lines and associated equipment.

“Our line crews climb utility poles at all hours of the day and night, in the worst of conditions,” explains Van Crawford, vice president of operations for Peace River Electric Cooperative (PRECO); a distribution electric co-op located in Wauchula, FL. “Anything attached to utility poles can create serious hazards for our line personnel. Sharp objects like nails, tacks, staples, or barbed wire can puncture rubber gloves and other safety equipment, making linemen vulnerable to electrocution.”

PRECO line workers are reporting more poles used as community bulletin boards, satellite mounts, and even support legs for deer stands, lights, and carports. Not only do these attachments put line crews at risk—anyone placing these items on poles comes dangerously close to energized power lines with thousands of volts of energy pulsing overhead. It is always wise to keep any structure at least 10 feet away from utility poles.

Please help us keep our linemen—and our community—safe. PRECO has an excellent safety record with over 475,000 safe hours worked, so please help us keep this number “climbing” by removing any unauthorized items attached to utility poles. Unauthorized fixtures will be removed by PRECO line personnel; the co-op is not responsible for any losses if an item is damaged or destroyed during removal.