Northern Powergrid has launched its first social media campaign targeted at the region’s digital savvy agricultural community to spread vital safety messages and help local farmers stay safe this harvest season.
The company, which is responsible for the power network that delivers electricity to doors of 3.9 million homes and businesses across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, is using the twitter campaign to urge farm workers to be extra vigilant around overhead power lines which can cause serious or fatal electrocution if farm machinery comes too close or accidentally touches them.
The electricity distributor has already visited key agricultural shows across the region to spread its vital, lifesaving message handing out specially designed key rings and pens, containing scrolls with vital safety advice, and in-cab air fresheners aimed at reminding farm workers to look up and be aware of any power lines where they’re working.
Large sections of Northern Powergrid’s network crosses farmland with some overhead cables on wood poles carrying anything up to 132,000 volts. Judging heights and distances, especially when tired or operating in reduced light at dusk or dawn, can be challenging for farm workers and electricity can jump gaps of between one and seven metres, depending on the voltage of the power line. Also objects such as trees, string, rope and water can conduct electricity.
Northern Powergrid is recommending that farmers always carry out risk assessments on land prior to starting work, especially prior to harvesting crops and if they have contracted in staff who may not be familiar with the land.
Geoff Earl, Northern Powergrid’s Director of Safety, Health and the Environment, said: “We know how busy and important the harvesting season is for the farming community and we want it to be a productive and safe time for farmers in our operating area.
“We know the farming community has a really strong social media presence, especially on twitter so it great that we are able to use the medium to help spread our lifesaving ‘look up, Stay Safe’ message. It’s important to increase awareness so farmers remember to plan ahead and ‘look up’ while working; understand the potentially fatal consequences of coming into contact with our overhead lines, especially those operating at high voltage, and know exactly what to do if something should happen to them.
“We’d urge farmers to share our message across social media and spread this vital safety message that could potentially save someone’s life. I believe we are the first distribution network operator using social media to target the farming community this harvest season so it’s great to see the campaign being used alongside our more traditional harvest season messaging.”
In 2014 there were 18 incidents across the region involving tractors, trucks or other farm machinery striking cables or support poles on Northern Powergrid’s 29,000 kilometre network of overhead power line. Fortunately none of the incidents were fatal.
To date in 2015 there has only been one incident involving a farm worker in northern Lincolnshire whose vehicle made contact with a live 11,000 volt overhead line resulting in them being hospitalised with burn injuries. Northern Powergrid hopes that its proactive approach to raising awareness will help reduce the chance of further incidents in the weeks, months and years ahead.
