A new campaign designed to keep the farming community to stay safe when working near power lines has been launched.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) are urging farmers to be aware of overhead power lines, cables and poles to prevent serious injuries with the message “look out, look out and look after yourself”.
Farming equipment coming into contact with power lines can also result in local electricity supplies being disrupted.
SSEN has responded to 448 incidents on farms and fields across the north of Scotland in the past year which is down from 505 the year before.
Ian Crawley, network operational safety manager at SSEN, said the campaign has been “directly informed” by the real-life experiences of the farming community. Farmers who operate arable and livestock farms took part in interviews and a research project to explore safety behaviours and the dangers associated with overhead lines.
‘Look out, look up!’
Farmers and their staff are being encouraged to risk assess and to be aware of the height of all machinery. SSEN also advise that individuals “leap out” of vehicles in dangerous situations, such as fires.
Mr Crawley added: “Before you head out on the farm, check the power lines above you. This is a small step that could make all the difference to staying safe and accident-free.
“If you do come in to contact with an overhead line or wooden electricity pole, stay in the cab if it’s safe to do so and call our teams immediately on 105.
“Thankfully, we’ve seen a reduction in the number of incidents across our network areas this past year, but every incident is one too many.
“While the agricultural landscape, and the farm machinery used on it, changes throughout the year, our vital safety message remains the same – look out, look up and look after yourself.”