SSEN's Anthony Ball talks all things safety with two of the young SafeWise visitors

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has been helping Bournemouth families find out more about safety and the services provided by their network operator.

The open day event, held recently at the town's SafeWise centre, brought 150 adults and children to SSEN's specially constructed stand where young attendees learned more about electrical safety outdoors. The SafeWise building houses examples of how kites, drones and toys coming in to contact with the outdoor electricity infrastructure and substations can result in serious injury.

SSEN's Customer and Community Advisors Julian Pearson and Anthony Ball were on hand to explain the dangers of playing near substations and power lines to the children, and to update their parents on the additional services that SSEN can offer; such as the Priority Services Register, the free-to-call 105 emergency number and the Powertrack app that keeps customers fully up-to-date during power cuts while enabling them to report any issues.

Thisyear, SSEN will invest £10,000 to enable as many children and young adults as possible to attend the events hosted by SafeWise, so they can learn first-hand how better safety practises at home and outdoors can help keep them, their families and friends safe from harm.

SSEN's Julian Pearson explains more: "Working in partnership with SafeWise helps to show a younger audience the potential dangers that power supplies can bring when not used responsibly or with proper care. Our stand displays part of a life-sized substation from our network to help them visualise what can happen when people fail to act safely, and the end results are quite alarming."

"The substation and overhead line display builds a greater understanding for our younger visitors and while they're learning how to stay safe, we're able to speak to their parents or carers about how we can help with the additional free services we provide to help people of all ages feel less vulnerable during a power cut."

SafeWise Bournemouth Manager, Elise St.Hill added: "It was a pleasure to welcome the team from SSEN to SafeWise Bournemouth's Junior Safety Inspector family event and I would like to thank them for being such a valuable part of the day."

"The support of SSEN is vital in helping SafeWise to continue to deliver skills for life education to children, families and other audiences."

By registering for SSEN's PSR, customers will be proactively contacted to warn them of potential bad weather to help them prepare and to offer extra support where required. SSEN's teams will also keep in close and regular contact with its PSR customers during network outages to check they are getting the help they need.

Customers can qualify for SSEN's Priority Services Register if they:

  • Are dependent on electricity for home medical care
  • Have a chronic illness or short term medical condition
  • Are disabled
  • Have special communication needs
  • Have children under the age of five
  • Are over the age of 60

To find out more about the PSR, click here or call our priority team on 0800 294 3259 to find out if you are eligible to register.

SSEN's Powertrack system can be accessed here, with information on how you can download the app.

For further details on 105 and general advice on what to do in the event of a power cut or electrical emergency, click here.