(Alice McFarlane/farmnewsNOW Staff)

By Alice McFarlane

Power safety on the farm

Look up and live, a safety reminder

May 10, 2019 | 9:55 AM

SaskPower is reminding farmers to take their time and be aware of overhead power lines while crossing fields and farm yards this spring.

SaskPower spokeperson Jordan Jackle said there has been an increase in powerline contacts relating to farm equipment.

“The trend is going up every year over the last 10 years or so. We largely attribute that to the growing size of the farm machinery we’re seeing out there,” Jackle said. “In the past week there were 15 reported cases of contacts and that number we can expect to go up as more and more people get out there seeding. We do see the vast majority of these contacts happen during the seeding season.”

Jackle said it starts by taking a moment before you go about your work and identify any overhead hazards. If you contact a power pole and the damage doesn’t immediately look obvious it could present problems down the line and you should always contact SaskPower.

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Jackle said if you come into contact with a line with equipment and you’re not able to move forward or backward there are crucial steps to take to stay safe.

“Stay in the cab and call SaskPower at 310-2220 or you can call 911,” Jackle said. “The only exception is when it’s no longer safe to stay in the equipment, for example, your equipment catches fire and you really should get out of there.”

Jackle said farmers should make sure there are no wires in the way, stand in the doorway, cross your arms, put your feet together and jump as far as possible from the equipment and land with feet together. Keep your arms crossed and hop at least 10 metres to safety.

SaskPower safety ambassadors are visiting several communities throughout the year. Jackle said they will be handing out decals that can be fixed to the dash of machinery that outlines these steps and serves as a visual reminder to take a couple of minutes to look around.

Jackle said in 2018 there were more than 300 different incidents involving farm machinery and power.

“That’s actually 40 more than the year before. The thing to remember is each one of these is preventable if you follow those steps. If it’s a matter of moving equipment make sure you’re planning ahead to know where you might run into situations where there are powerlines, contact us and we can work with you. Be aware of those overhead hazards before you get to work.” Jackle said.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF