As summer draws nearer and the weather gets warmer, many of us spend more time outdoors with our families. With this time of year come certain electrical safety risks. Follow these tips to keep you and your family safe this summer.
Click Before you Dig
Summer is the season for landscaping and gardening projects, and it’s important to do this work safely. If you are planning to dig, drill or excavate deeper than 15cm, visit clickbeforeyoudigmb.com to request a line locate for your property. Submit your line locate request at least 3 working days before you begin any project. Don’t skip this step! Hitting an electric power line or natural gas pipeline can cause severe injuries or death, as well as damage to your property.
Tree trimming near power lines
Trees are at their greenest and leafiest in the summer, but when they touch power lines, they can cause outages and pose serious safety risks. You’re responsible for keeping trees, shrubs, and vegetation located on your property clear of overhead lines and hydro poles.
Trees should be trimmed back if they have power lines passing through them from a hydro pole to your house or are leaning close to, but not touching, overhead lines or hydro poles.
DO NOT attempt to cut/prune your own tree if it is within an unsafe distance to the power line.
If a tree is contacting a power line and is smoking, sparking, burning, or making a loud noise, stay at least 10 metres away and call 911.
Downed power lines
While summer storms can be fun to watch, they bring intense wind and hail that can damage trees and power lines. Downed power lines are dangerous and should be treated as an emergency. If you see one, call 911 immediately and make sure everyone stay at least 10 meters away.
Water and electricity
It’s also important to remember that water and electricity don’t mix. Always keep electrical appliances away from water and never touch electrical cords or switches when you are wet or standing in water.
While extension cords can be convenient, they should not be used to power air conditioners, refrigerators or other large appliances. Never link extension cords together or use them as a long-term power source.
Be safe around electricity to keep you and your family safe while enjoying the warm summer months.
