This month we continue our 85th anniversary celebration as a member-owned electric cooperative. In honor of National Electrical Safety month, we are ‘throwing’ it back to the 1950’s and 1960’s when electric tools and appliances were becoming popular.
Electric appliances made life easier for workers on the farm and for the homemakers. At right is an article that appeared in the June 1961 People’s Electric Co-Operative (PEC) News monthly newsletter. It’s takes us back to when electric machinery was introduced on the farm.
Safety has always been a priority at PEC. Farming is one of the most dangerous jobs in America. Sometimes on the farm, equipment that is normally helpful becomes lethal during an accident. 410703101
Farmers should be aware of special safety precautions since they often use large equipment and ladders that put them close to overhead power lines. Safe Electricity has the following tips to keep you safe on the farm.
- Always lower a portable grain auger before you move it, even if only a few feet. Keep all objects at least 10 feet away from overhead lines. Know where all overhead power lines are located on your property and inform all workers about them.
- Plan your route between fields, to bins and elevators, and on public roads so that you avoid low-hanging power lines. If someone else transports large equipment, always specify a safe route and explain why certain routes must be taken.
- Be sure you and everyone else in your operation know what to do in an emergency.
- If equipment gets hung up on a power line, the operator should NOT get off the machinery unless in immediate danger. If the operator touches the ground and the equipment at the same time, he or she will become a channel for electricity. 253005200
- If you must leave the equipment, jump as far away from the machinery as possible. Never get back on machinery that touches a power line until the utility company disconnects the line.
Be sure to share this safety information with all farm workers and family members.
