SaskPower is asking farmers to take care so their farm equipment doesn't come into contact with power lines. (ID 161530205 © Robert Philip | Dreamstime.com)

By Rob Mahon

Look up and Live

SaskPower asks farmers to Look up and Live in seeding season

May 16, 2023 | 11:00 AM

Seeding work is already underway in much of Saskatchewan, and farmers are often working on very tightly packed schedules. Busy as they are, however, SaskPower is asking them to take a little extra time to be cautious.

As part of their Look up and Live campaign, SaskPower is asking farmers to be aware of power lines when they’re moving equipment. Driving into them or knocking them over can be extremely dangerous and SaskPower hopes to prevent any dangerous situations before they occur.

“When you’re out working your fields, be it seeding, spraying, harvesting when fall comes around, keep safety top of mind,” said Scott McGregor, media relations consultant with SaskPower, “especially when working near power lines, power poles, other sorts of power infrastructure.”

According to McGregor, they typically see anywhere from 250 to 300 collisions between farm equipment and power infrastructure from spring to fall. This year, those contacts might be even more dangerous as the entire province has been so dry this spring.

“When it comes to very dry conditions like we’re seeing across most of the province right now, there is that chance that there a fire could be ignited from a line coming down,” said McGregor. “But this is sage advice that is useful any time of year in any conditions: take extreme caution. Make sure you’re aware of how big you are, where your machinery is, if you have everything retracted and pulled in.”

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Even if downing a power line doesn’t lead to a fire, it can still be dangerous. People can be injured or even killed when a power line comes into contact with a piece of farm equipment.

“One of the most important things, should anybody come into contact with a power line, to do is to remain in their vehicle,” McGregor said. “It’s the safest place to be.”

If you do have to leave the vehicle, however, if (for example) a fire has started and you can’t stay in place, there’s a very specific way to leave it safely.

“Make sure there are no lines or any sort of infrastructure between you and where you want to go,” McGregor said. “Swing your door open as wide as it will go, cross your arms across your chest, and jump with both feet together as far away from your vehicle as you can, making sure you don’t touch your vehicle and your feet land at the same time. From there, keep your hands close to your body and hop as far away as you can… Do not, under any circumstances, go back to your vehicle. The safest place to be is at least 10 meters away.”

McGregor added one of the most important things to do when seeding is to plan the route ahead of time to avoid places where power lines are. He also said there is an interactive map at saskpower.maps.arcgis.com.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP