Electrifying experience: West Penn Power campaign promotes safety
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
West Penn Power electrical employees demonstrate how easily a home project can turn fatal during a demonstration for the media Wednesday morning. Shelley Baber, manager of contractors and public safety, explained ladders can get tangled in wires, potentially leading to electrocution.
At the West Penn Power "Stop. Look. Live." demonstration Wednesday morning, electrical workers demonstrate the dangers of touching car doors during a storm. First responders and passersby should stay at least 30 feet from a vehicle near wires because electricity could sit in the ground surrounding the car door.
West Penn Power is promoting electricity safety with its “Stop. Look. Live.” campaign.
The campaign, aimed at both first responders and the general public, is a reminder that all lines, from power to cable to phone lines, are potentially dangerous and should only be handled by professionally trained electric workers.
“You can’t hear, you can’t see, you can’t smell electricity,” said Candy Webb, consultant for public safety at First Energy, which owns West Penn. “If you ever see a downed power line, call 911.”
Webb and Shelley Baber, manager of contractors and public safety, explained to members of the media Wednesday morning the potential dangers of downed wires while trained electrical workers demonstrated the high stakes of common scenarios.
Using West Penn’s new trailer, on which small model homes, various power lines and a car door are hooked to a 7,000-volt generator, the electric workers showed attendees how an animal or kite string can cause a power outage – and how dangerous removing those things can be. For example, the kite string will send electricity from the line, down whatever you’re holding and into your body.
They also debunked a common myth that rubber boots will prevent electrocution when a West Penn employee held a shoe above electrically charged grass, simulating the charge’s path from ground to boot to person.
Webb said a small hole or moisture can turn the boot into a conductor and cause harm to the person wearing those shoes.
Even long pieces of wood or plastic, materials that may seem safe, can serve as a conductor when the conditions are right. A simple task like pushing a downed power line off a driveway with a stick can be dangerous.
“Do not touch or move lines with anything,” said Baber. “At the end of the day, all lines can be energized.”
Baber told attendees that yard work and home projects, such as hanging Christmas lights, can result in electric injuries. Before digging, call 811, and always carry ladders horizontally so they don’t get caught in overhead wires.
West Penn plans to demonstrate just how quickly a contact incident can occur by taking the trailer throughout its service area and putting on “Stop. Look. Live.” presentations. Todd Meyers, senior communications representative for West Penn Power, said educational videos covering the same content will be published to the company’s website in the near future.
“We want to prevent … contact incidents. There’s a potential to have one all the time,” said Meyers. “This is the only way you want to see it: in a safe, controlled situation.”
Added Baber, “You can’t tell whether any of our lines are energized or not. We want you to treat it as it’s energized and dangerous.”