Safety is important - and everyone's responsibility. Check out the tips below and watch our safety video to learn how to keep you, your family, and your home safe in situations involving electricity.
Electrical Safety Tips
Accidentally contacting a power line can be dangerous and in some cases, even deadly. Washington Electric Cooperative wants to help our members stay safe around power lines.
Keep a safe distance
Whether you are playing outdoors with your children or working on landscaping projects, keep a safe distance from power lines and other equipment your co-op uses to get electricity to your home.
Always remember to:
- Stay away from power lines, meters, transformers and electrical boxes.
- Don’t climb trees near power lines.
- Never fly kites, remote control airplanes or balloons near power lines.
- Do not throw objects up into power lines, which can cause short circuits that could result in injuries. This includes items you might not consider conductive, such as ropes and strings.
- If you get something stuck in a power line, call Washington Electric to get it.
- Keep a safe distance from overhead power lines when working with ladders or installing objects such as antennas.
- Never touch or go near a downed power line. Consider every wire on the ground to be energized and dangerous.
- Don’t touch anything that may be touching a downed wire, such as a car.
- Keep children and pets away.
If a power line falls on a car, you should stay inside the vehicle. This is the safest place to stay. Warn people not to touch the car or the line. Call or ask someone to call the local cooperative and emergency services.
The only circumstance in which you should consider leaving a car that is in contact with a downed power line is if the vehicle catches on fire. Open the door. Do not step out of the car. You may receive a shock. Instead, jump free of the car so that your body clears the vehicle before touching the ground. Once you clear the car, shuffle at least 50 feet away, with both feet on the ground.
As in all power line related emergencies, call for help immediately by dialing 911 or call your electric utility company's Service Center/Dispatch Office.
Do not try to help someone else from the car while you are standing on the ground.
Refrigerated or frozen food may not be safe to consume after a power outage. Here are some great resources on how to take the proper food safety precautions and what to do when outages occur.
Washington Electric Cooperative conducts electrical safety demonstrations for schools, local fire department and emergency agencies, and community groups. If you are interested in having a safety presentation for your organization, please contact our office for details.