Children and Electrical Safety

Teaching electrical safety to children is an ongoing program at Union Power Cooperative. Each year, we talk to thousands of school children across our service area and teach them how electricity is wonderful to have in our lives but that it can also be dangerous.

When talking to your kids about electrical safety, keep these tips in mind:

• Never fly a kite near power lines.
• Never build a tree house in a tree near power lines.
• Never, ever touch a line of any kind. It could be a live power line. If you see a line hanging from a pole or tree or on the ground, tell your parents or a neighbor to call the power company.
• Stay away from substations, power poles and green padmount transformers.
• Never put an appliance in or near water.
• Don’t put your fingers or any object in an electrical outlet. (Parents please use safety outlet plugs to protect your children from power outlets in your home.
• Children love to climb up, on and over things. Fences are particularly inviting. Union Power Cooperative has placed signs, “Danger – Keep Out” or “Warning – High Voltage” on substation fences for your protection. Please talk to your children about electrical substations and why they must never climb the fences surrounding them.