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Public urged to stay clear of powerlines

Published on December 2^nd 2011, 10:23am

Northpower’s General Manager of Network, Graham Dawson, says too often in recent times, members of the public have moved fallen power lines.

“I can point to at least three incidents at Mangapai, Tangowahine, and Mangakahia where members of the public have moved fallen powerlines,” says Mr Dawson.

“Frankly, they are lucky to still be alive.

“The message I want to get through to the public is to never touch powerlines. They should be treated as live at all times because there is a good chance - particularly with the 400 Volt lines - that they may well be live, and they could kill you.”

Northpower has fault staff on call 24 hours a day in the Kaipara and Whangarei Districts and Mr Dawson says they are only a phone call away.

“My plea to people if they come across fallen or damaged lines is to stay clear, keep others well away – particularly children – call our Faults freephone number on 0800 10 40 40 and wait for our technicians to arrive and sort the problem.

“Electricity is a dangerous game and even our staff, who are exceptionally well trained, proceed with caution whenever they are working around powerlines,” says Mr Dawson.

Northpower has over 5700km of electricity lines network in the Kaipara and Whangarei Districts and Mr Dawson says there will always be issues through damage to the network – often third party strikes or storm damage.

“The important part is that people don’t take it into their own hands to sort the problems. Our Faults crews will respond in a timely manner. Just because lines are on the ground does not mean they aren’t live,” says Mr Dawson.

For electrical safety tips, people can visit http://northpower.com/network/safety/

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