Pacific Power offers tips to stay safe while doing fall yard and home work, harvests

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — As the leaves turn, fall weather arrives in the Pacific Northwest. For some homeowners, this means pruning trees and taming overgrown gardens, for others it means cleaning the gutters or painting the house. Many outdoor projects like these can be hazardous if you don’t put safety first.

“Now is a great time to prune any trees that could cause trouble once the storms start coming in,” said Joe Cissna, Pacific Power’s health and safety manager. “Winter storms bringing down branches is a big cause of power outages. Check around your property if any trees or branches could harm power lines if they fell. Some preventive work now could save more headaches and power outages later.”

Use caution when pruning trees. Don't use pruning tools or ladders near power lines. Always keep yourself and anything you're handling at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines. Never try to remove a branch that is tangled or lying across a power line. Instead, call us at 1-888-221-7070. We'll be happy to remove it for you. 

• Treat all electric lines with caution. 
• Use only wooden and fiberglass ladders. Metal ladders conduct electricity.
• Never use electrical equipment or tools near a pool or other wet areas. Additionally, make sure outlets are equipped with a ground fault circuit interrupter, designed to automatically disconnect if the tool comes into contact with water. 
• Be aware and steer clear of overhead electrical wires when installing, removing, cleaning or repairing gutters.
• Have help when installing or adjusting a satellite dish or antenna. Make sure you’re working at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines. 
• Plant trees and shrubs away from meters, switching cabinets and boxed transformers. Vegetation blocking electrical equipment makes repairs and maintenance challenging and sometimes dangerous for utility workers.
• Underground power lines are just as dangerous as overhead ones. If your project involves digging, make sure the locations of underground power lines are marked. Call 811 to have underground utilities located and marked for free. 

Meanwhile, harvests of many kinds are well underway in the many rural communities Pacific Power serves, from apples and pears to peas and pumpkins. The busy fall harvest season is the most highly productive yet most dangerous time of the year for farmers, ranchers and their work crews, according to the National Agricultural Safety Database.

“As the Northwest’s largest rural power supplier, we know that fall harvest is a critical time of year. This is when the year’s investment pays off, but only if you take the time to stay safe, which is why we are focused on this season as much as you are,” said Joe Cissna, health and safety manager for Pacific Power. “Electricity helps with the harvest, but if you take it for granted and try to cut corners, tragedy could result.”

Customers and the public can get important safety materials, including Pacific Power’s “Electrical Safety on Your Farm or Ranch” brochure, or “Alerta! Fuera de Casa” brochure in Spanish, and “Look Up and Live” irrigation safety stickers in both English and Spanish – or schedule a free safety presentation – by calling Pacific Power toll free at 1-800-375-7085 or by visiting pacificpower.net/safety.

There are three main areas in which to concentrate safety efforts:

Power Line Safety

• Be aware of overhead power lines. Lower augers, harvesters or other equipment to transport level to ensure adequate clearance when near power lines. Know the height of cultivators or planters in the fold-up position; the equipment may be taller than during field use. 
• If a tractor or vehicle comes in contact with a power line, remain seated until help arrives. If there is danger of fire, jump as far away from the tractor as possible and keep your feet together when landing. Do not allow any part of your body to touch the equipment and the ground at the same time. Many injuries have occurred when equipment operators attempted to get back on or touch equipment after dismounting.
• Never attempt to raise or move a power line.
• Watch for guy wires, which are attached to and support utility poles and the ground. Striking a guy wire can damage your equipment and weaken a pole or even bring live power lines down, creating an extremely hazardous situation.
• Do not erect fence wire along the same route as an overhead line and do not string fence wire where it may come into contact with an overhead line.

Electrical Safety

• Make sure all outlets are three-hole, grounded outlets with faceplates.
• Install a lock-out switch that can turn off all electricity to one area, for fast action in an emergency.
• If there are any doubts about the state of electrical circuits, wiring or equipment on a farm, have a licensed electrician inspect them.
• Properly ground the entire electrical system and protect ground wires and rods from damage.

If a line has fallen on the ground or on some other object or piece of equipment, always assume it’s hot, live or energized. Stay clear, keep others away and call 911 and Pacific Power toll free at 1-888-221-7070. 

Another great source for safety information is the National Agricultural Safety Database. Visit nasdonline.org to find out more.

“By being extra careful and refreshing everyone on safety, especially with an expanded workforce on hand, we can all work together and enjoy a safe and bountiful harvest,” said Cissna.

For more safety tips or to order free Pacific Power safety materials, call toll free at 800-375-7085 or visit pacificpower.net/safety.