FOLLOWING on from last week's Farm Safety Week campaign, The National Grid is urging farmers are being urged to eliminate electrical hazards and clearly signpost dangers to keep staff and visitors safe around electricity. following a series of incidents in which farm machinery or similar vehicles collided with overhead power lines.

The message coincides with Farm Safety Week (18 – 22 July). We were called to more than 60 incidents between January and April 2022 in which vehicles driven by farmers or contractors had made contact with overhead lines. Many of these happened on farm land.

WPD Operational Safety Advisor Eddie Cochrane said: “Farmers must remember that they owe a duty of care to anyone who works on their land. This means that the signage and layout of the farm should direct all people to be safe, or draw their attention to significant hazards that can cause serious harm. 

'Unfortunately, we’ve had a few incidents in the last 12 months where people have arrived to tip aggregates and fertiliser and have ended up coming into contact with overhead power lines. While not all of these have been on farm land, it would be wise to learn lessons from others’ mistakes and apply this to the farming environment.'

In the event of an incident, farmers are urged to keep clear and call WPD’s 105 emergency number. For an even quicker emergency response, farmers can use the ‘What3Words’ app to pinpoint the exact location of the incident. This will enable our engineers to isolate the power in seconds using remote technology and help to prevent any loss of life. 

Eddie added: 'Simple steps to keep everyone safe include not storing objects, such as straw bales, under overhead lines, avoiding building too close to 11kV lines and cables (plans can be obtained from us or Linesearch) or even providing close supervision when contractors or delivery lorries turn up on the farm. All of this can help to keep everyone safe whether they are regular farm staff or visitors.'