There are a few things that most people know about electricity, even if they aren’t electricians. Things like which metals are good conductors of electricity is just one example of an electrical fact that most people are aware of. The layman also knows that rubber is a poor conductor of electricity, and therefore electrical lines need to be coated in a rubber or plastic sheeting. How to stay safe around high-voltage power lines, however, is not something that everyone knows intuitively. Here at Lake Electric Co. Inc., we spend a lot of time working with high-voltage power lines and would like to share some safety tips that everyone could use.
- Stay away from high-voltage power lines. First and foremost, unless you are licensed, trained and given permission to work with high-voltage power lines, stay away from them! High-voltage power lines are extremely dangerous, like working with bolts of lighting, and can kill you if you don’t work with them correctly. No matter what, stay away from high-voltage power lines. Those fences are there for your protection!
- Watch out for foreign objects on high-voltage power lines. Electricity is always looking for the fastest route to the ground. This is why lightning will strike the tallest object in the area when trying to reach the ground– because it is the shortest distance to travel! If there is any kind of foreign object on a high-voltage power line, from a string on a kite to a piece of fence that has been knocked over, it can become electrified and is also dangerous to touch. Call authorities and don’t try to take care of this yourself.
If you have questions about high-voltage power lines, please call us here at Lake Electric Co. Inc. Stay safe out there, everybody and avoid high-voltage power lines!