Majority of parents unaware of electrical safety: BC Hydro

According to a recent BC Hydro survey, two-thirds of parents in the province need to be made aware of rules around electrical safety, so they can better educate their children.

The utility supplier’s spokesperson Mora Scott said the crown corporation wanted to see if parents fully understood the rules on electrical safety and if that was being communicated to their kids.

“What we found is that they are unintentionally passing on their knowledge gap because many parents are unaware of the safety rules themselves — they’re not able to educate their kids,” she explained in an interview with CityNews.

The survey showed that 76 per cent of parents surveyed who have kids under 18 needed to learn how far to stay away from overhead power lines, with 58 per cent feeling unsure of the distance they should keep from those downed or damaged.

There also needs to be more clarification about how to tell if a damaged line was active. Of those surveyed, 30 per cent think smoking or buzzing means the power line is still operating, with 27 per cent thinking that if a power line is sparking or humming, it’s still active. In comparison, only 8 percent thought glowing meant a downed line was still operating.

Almost half of parents surveyed don’t know to keep things away from powerlines

The survey also showed that while 57 per cent of parents knew to keep their kid’s kites, balloons, or other similar toys away from power lines, 43 percent didn’t.

“We’re just having an increased focus on how we talk about safety. There are lots of different rules out there, so that may be why… there is a gap in the past,” Mora said.

But with B.C. facing increasing temperatures and more extreme weather patterns, Mora says BC Hydro has seen more damage to its electrical equipment, especially from thunderstorms.

As people across BC are going out to enjoy the sunnier weather during the coming months, she is calling on the public to be cautious around power lines.

“Typically, every spring, we see incidents of power line contacts or near misses increase, and that’s why we want to remind people that if you are out in your yard or at a park, you need to stay at least three meters away from those lines, if you’re out there with kites or balloons, please keep them secured,” she explained.

Keep a safe distance away from downed electrical infrastructure

BC Hydro says that people should stay three meters or more away from power lines and 10 meters away from those that are damaged or broken. It also asks people to keep away from any electrical infrastructure and not to trespass on facilities run by BC Hydro.

Including vehicles crashing into power poles, Mora says the utility provider reported 200 incidents of people coming into close contact with electrical infrastructure.

However, she adds, “We do know that near misses are underreported, so we expect the number is actually higher.”