NIE prize in safe hands

19 Feb 2010

Cookstown farmer, William Causey, has come out top in Northern Ireland Electricity’s farm safety competition.

The local man was presented with a pair of binoculars to help reinforce the message that people working in close proximity to electricity lines should always ‘look up and look out.’

Mr Causey won the competition by knowing that you should always remain at least five metres from electricity lines and that you can recognise electricity equipment by its yellow warning sign.

Roy Coulter, Safety Manager at Northern Ireland Electricity, said “spreading the message about safety on the farm is vitally important. Every year members of the agricultural community or their contractors are injured or killed due to accidental contact with overhead electricity lines. This competition is just one of the ways that we remind farmers that before they cut hedgerows, trim trees, spray crops or cut silage that they make themselves aware of where there are electricity poles or power lines.

“This message is particularly important at this time of year when farmers are often working in poor light. We are urging all agricultural workers to ‘look up, look out’ and to ensure that when operating heavy machinery they stay at least five metres or 16½ feet from lines.”

For more information about working close to electricity lines or cables, visit www.niesafety.co.uk

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