(Patience Cathcart, the Director of Data and Public Safety Officer at the Electrical Safety Authority, shared her safety tips with Stittsville Central to avoid electrical issues when working outdoors.)
As the weather gets warmer, homeowners are turning their attention to spring cleaning their outdoor spaces. Whether planting trees, cleaning eaves, or taking on larger outdoor projects, understanding the precautions around powerlines will help keep the community safe from electrical harm.
According to the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), powerline contacts have increased over the last five years and are a leading cause of electrical fatalities in Ontario. In the last decade, there have been more than 1,400 powerline incidents and 22 deaths.
To keep residents safe from electrical harm, here are four important safety tips to keep in mind this spring:
- Before starting any backyard maintenance, locate all nearby powerlines. Despite the real threat powerlines pose, a recent survey from ESA showed that 27 per cent of Ontarians say they rarely or never look for overhead powerlines before starting their outdoor chores. Don’t risk it. Always look for powerlines first.
- Once you’ve located all overhead powerlines in your space, keep yourself and your tools a minimum of three metres away — that’s the length of a ten-step ladder. Contact with a powerline can cause serious injuries or a deadly shock, and electricity can jump or ‘arc’ to you or your tools if you get too close. You do not have to touch the powerline to get a shock — always stay three metres away from overhead powerlines. If there’s a downed powerline on your property, keep at least 10 metres away— about the length of a school bus — and call 911 and your local utility.
- Just like natural gas and communications lines, powerlines can be buried underground. If outdoor work this year involves landscaping your space or digging, contact Ontario One Call beforehand. They will locate all utility-owned underground infrastructure in your yard. You may also require a “private locate” for underground infrastructure that is not utility-owned.
- Plant new trees far enough away from the powerlines so even when your sapling matures, it won’t come too close. It’s important to consider how tall any trees or plants will get when choosing the right location. Plan ahead by making sure what you plant doesn’t grow to be within three metres of overhead powerlines, even at its tallest height.
Spring cleaning your garden can be relaxing and enjoyable but always remember to stay at least three metres away from overhead powerlines and 10 metres away from downed powerlines.
Find more outdoor safety tips at ESAsafe.com/StopLookLive.