The cooler weather conditions have resulted in a later harvest this year. With that in mind, the staff at ATCO Electric are wanting to remind those in farming to be safe while working in the fields with power lines, especially when they are in a rush.
Their operations supervisor, Doug Baggett, says the “rule of thumb is to stay 7 metres away from power lines when you are moving large farm equipment around near the lines. This year it’s a bit of a risk because of the late harvest, we’re just afraid that people get focused on the task on hand and forget about that overhead line.”
So far this year, ATCO Electric is aware of there having been 57 cases of contact between machinery and cable in their service territory. This isn’t an unusual number. Last year, there were 88 cases of contact. He says “the farm equipment just keep getting bigger but the power lines aren’t getting higher. So, as people get new equipment sometimes they’re surprised how much closer their equipment is to the line.”
ATCO Electric does offer support services to farmers who are moving big equipment near power lines. If you are unsure of the safest route to take, you can call their contact desk and they can have staff come out to either measure the power lines and the yard or field, or can come lift the lines out of the way for you.
Their advice for the best safety if you come in contact with a power line is “if it’s safe to drive the equipment, just break the contact. Stay put, stay in the machine, keep people away from it, call 911 and really your best place to be is to stay in that machinery as long as there’s no imminent danger.”
Baggett reminds farmers that if they want to learn any more about their services or tips for working in fields with power lines, to check out their website.
– LG
