Northern Powergrid reminds farmers to look up and stay safe this harvest season

Northern Powergrid is targeting the region’s 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 urging 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.

To help spread the vital safety message Northern Powergrid is set to visit key agricultural shows across the region over the coming months starting off with the North Yorkshire County Show on Sunday 21 June.

At each of the shows the electricity distribution company will meet local farmers and offer safety guidance and information. To reinforce the message everyday Northern Powergrid will also hand 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 this is the start of an incredibly busy and important period for the farming community and we want it to be a productive and safe time for farmers in our operating area.

“We’ll be spending the harvesting season working 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 come and visit us at one of the shows and pick up one of our special key rings or pens so they can keep the safety information they need with them at all times as they work this harvest season.”

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.

Northern Powergrid will attend the North Yorkshire County Show on Sunday 21 June; Lincolnshire Show, Wednesday 24 to Thursday 25 June; Great Yorkshire Show, Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 July and Driffield Show, Wednesday 22 July 2015.