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With the start of spring seeding just around the corner for most Saskatchewan farms, SaskPower is encouraging all producers to be safe when working around power lines and poles.
The Crown corporation said 315 incidents on farms involving SaskPower’s infrastructure were reported last year. All power line strikes are preventable, the company emphasized.
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“Farm-related line incidents often involve large pieces of equipment such as seeders, augers or cultivators hitting overhead lines or power poles,” Nidal Dabghi, SaskPower’s safety director, said in a statement.
“This can lead not only to costly equipment damage and power outages, but also to injury or even death.”
SaskPower said the common causes of incidents on farmyards include fatigue, underestimating the size or height of farm equipment, not being aware of line locations and digging too close to power infrastructure.
In the event that equipment comes into contact with a power line, SaskPower advised operators to stay in their vehicles and contact the power company, or dial 9-1-1 in an emergency.
“Only leave the vehicle if it is on fire, using the proper safe exit procedure,” SaskPower noted.
If an operator needs to leave the vehicle after a line strike, SaskPower said to ensure no wires are in the way, then stand in the doorway with arms crossed and feet together and jump as far from the vehicle as possible. Do not touch the vehicle, SaskPower said, and hop at least 10 metres away with arms crossed.
More information on power line safety can be found on SaskPower’s website.
