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Safety
Your cooperative considers safety to be one of our most important responsibilities. All employees are trained in proper safety procedures and the cooperative itself goes through a vigorous accreditation process every three years.
Helping you stay safe around our system is just as important. So this page is dedicated to providing your with some basic safety guidelines when it comes to living with and working around electric distribution systems.
Call Before You Dig
If there are underground electric wires anywhere near your home or business, make sure to call for a locate service before sticking a shovel in the ground. It is easy, dial 811 five days prior to your excavation to be sure you don't run into our wires.
If you did not call before starting to dig and find a warning tape, stop immediately. A distinctly marked tape is buried 12" below the surface above buried electric lines to alert people to the presence of electric conductors.
Planting and Right of Ways
We ask that you keep plantings of trees and bushes that have the potential to grow into power lines 20' back from the centerline of the right of way. When vegetation gets into the power lines it can create outages and safety hazards. The following graphic illustrates the proper planting techniques.
If you have trees that have grown into the wires, call for professional assistance in pruning them. Do not go near trees or other vegetation that are in contact with or could blow into contact with our lines. Use care when planting near underground lines. Roots for vegetation can grow into the wires and create problems in the future.
We trim all of our right of ways on a five year cycle. Of course, we spot trim trouble areas as they develop. Our primary contractor for the tree trimming is Asphlund. If you have questions about the how's and why's of tree trimming around power lines, click here.
Lightning Safety
Lightning can be beautiful, spectacular...and deadly. Knowing what to do if caught in a lightning storm can mean the difference between life and death. Your cooperative has assembled some guidelines from various national and state resources on how to stay safe. Download the document here.
Safety Resources on the Web
The following links give you access to some very useful Internet resources concerning electric safety.
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/electrical/index.html OSHA's Electric Safety Tips
http://esfi.org/ Electric Safety Foundation International
http://www.cpsc.gov/tips.html US Consumer Product Safety Commission
http://www.safeelectricity.org/ Safe Electricity.org
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dms_apps/electrical.asp Electric safety tips from the State of Pennsylvania
