Safety
OTEC adopted the Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program (RESAP) in 2021 to achieve a high standard of safety for our employees, member-owners, communities, and businesses within the cooperative. We are committed to providing clear expectations, education, and training to reach our goal of continually improving our safety culture. We incorporate safety as an integral aspect of all operations and a core value of OTEC.
The senior leadership at OTEC has shown their commitment to safety programs through Commitment to Zero Contacts and RESAP, and in return, they have asked for and received the same commitment from our employees. This is essential in defining and operating a successful safety program that protects our people and the public
Did you know a shovel hitting an underground power line can be just as dangerous as contacting an overhead line?
Remember to be safe when working on projects like planting trees, digging holes for fence posts, installing sprinklers and more.
In traumatic situations, it may be instinctive to flee as soon as possible. A car accident is a good example of this. However, if you are in a car accident with a power line, the safest place is often inside the car.
When a car crashes into a power pole, the pole may fall down, lines may fall on your car or nearby, and the area around your car may become charged with electric energy. If you stepped out of the car in this scenario, your body would become the path to ground for the electricity, and you could be electrocuted.
While downed lines can sometimes show they are live by arcing and sparking with electricity, this is not always the case. Power lines do not always show signs that they are live, but are just as lethal.
Stay in the car if you are in a car accident with a power pole. Warn those who try to come near your car to help that they must stay far away. Call 911 for help, and wait until a professional from the electric utility tells you it is safe to leave the car.
The exception to this rule is if your car is on fire. In that case, jump clear of the vehicle without touching it and the ground at the same time. Then hop away with feet together. This way there will not be a voltage difference between your two feet, which would give electricity the chance to flow through your body.
If you witness a car collision with a power pole, do not approach the accident. By trying to help, you will put your own life at risk. The best thing to do is contact emergency responders and stay far away from the accident.
More than likely, you have surge protectors in your home with multiple electrical devices plugged into them. Whether on the floor, behind a desk or couch, or placed into the wall, we all understand the need to protect appliances and electronics from power surges.
An electromagnetic field, sometimes referred to as EMF, is created by electrical charges and currents flowing through wires. When an appliance such as your toaster or microwave is turned on, current or charge flows, creating EMF. Given the widespread use of electricity, electromagnetic fields or EMFs are present everywhere in our daily lives.