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Utility
poles are not for posting
Having a yard sale? Try advertising
it in the local paper instead of on a local utility pole.
You may save a line worker from suffering a serious injury
if you refrain from attaching a sign, or any other object,
to a utility pole.
Electric
power association line workers frequently use bucket trucks
to lift themselves and their tools to the tops of utility
poles, where they perform myriad repair and maintenance tasks.
But
sometimes a line is not accessible by truck, so the lineman
must climb the pole. This is made possible with the help of
boot hooks (called gaffs) that grip the wooden pole as he
climbs. The gaffs work well—until they strike a metal
object such as a nail or a tack embedded in the pole. The
lineman can stumble, lose his footing and fall.
Despite
extensive safety training and attention to safety precautions,
even the most conscientious lineman can be injured by something
as simple as a nail.
In fact, any utility pole-mounted object not related to the
distribution of electricity poses a safety hazard to linemen.
Electric power association linemen sometimes have to navigate
a virtual maze of nails, bird houses, basketball goals, satellite
dishes or other items when they head up a pole.
They've even reported deer stands mounted on rural poles.
Talk about a dangerous situation!
There
are three reasons why attaching things to poles is a very
bad idea:
€ It poses an electrocution hazard to the person mounting
and using the object.
€
It endangers linemen who can become hung on the object while
ascending or descending a pole.
€
Utility poles are private property and should be respected
as such. Utility workers are instructed to remove such illegally
placed objects.
So
the next time you are looking for a good spot for that yard
sale sign or basketball goal, please overlook the utility
pole.
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