"Look up, look out!" is the message to farmers from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), as it teams up with the National Farmers' Union (NFU) to raise awareness of the possible dangers of working near poles and overhead power lines.

Last year, SSEN recorded over 100 incidents in its central southern England patch where farm machinery came into contact with poles, overhead lines and cables, cutting off local electricity supplies and having the potential to cause serious injury, or worse, to those involved; thankfully, none of these incidents led to injury.

The campaign is launching during Farm Safety Week, which runs from Monday 24 July to Friday 28 July, as SSEN and NFU want to give their message optimum exposure, ensuring that farmers and their teams are armed with the knowledge they need to stay safe in the field this summer and beyond.

 

  • 'Look up, Look out' before you start work in any areas where electricity lines are present
  • Be aware of the height of machinery that will be in use near lines and ensure there's plenty of clearance - remember that electricity can 'jump' if an object comes near enough
  • If you do come in to contact with an overhead line or cable, stay in your cab or vehicle and try to avoid touching anything metal within it
  • Call '105' this is the UK-wide single emergency number for power companies and is the quickest way to put you through to the correct network operator
  • If the situation is too dangerous to stay put, i.e. if the machinery is affected by fire, then it's advised that you leap out of the vehicle as high and as far as you can to avoid touching any part of it

 

Craig Gilroy, SSEN's Director of Customer Operations in England, explains more: "Our rural landscape changes all the time and the 'Look up, Look out' message encourages anyone working in the field to take stock of their surroundings and the overhead lines that may run across or into the land. Trees and hedgerows may have grown since the last time you checked and now obscure the nearby lines, intense heat in the summer can cause lines to sag slightly and working with different styles or heights of machinery may bring you closer to the lines than in previous years.

"We've joined forces with the NFU to raise awareness and to highlight this safety message during Farm Safety Week, and this is just the start of what, we hope, will be an enduring partnership to help the farming communities in our network area stay accident-free throughout the seasons."

 

Hampshire NFU chairman Matt Culley, an arable farmer and contractor, features in the SSEN and NFU safety video. He says: "We work in a high-risk industry, but there are simple steps we can all take to help avoid accidents around electrical equipment, especially during harvesting. Risk assessments ahead of the working day, using machinery around poles and under the overhead lines during daylight hours so there's clearer visibility, and taking the time to 'Look up, Look out' can all help reduce the chances of accident or injury to ourselves and our workers."

 

If you would like any further safety advice, please go to our website - https://www.ssen.co.uk/safety/