World Safety Day: NIPE asks Nigerians to be safety conscious

Nigerian Institution of Power Engineers (NIPE), Ibadan Chapter, has called on the people of Oyo State and Nigeria at large to always be safety conscious.

Making the call on behalf of NIPE was its Chairman, Mr Folarin Bello in a message to commemorate this year’s World Safety Day, an annual event which is celebrated on April 28.

Speaking on tree cutting and power line safety, Bello advised that members of the general public should take note of nearby power lines before cutting down trees and ensure to call the attention of any nearby electricity company to it.

Bello further said that: “Treat all power lines as energised and never climb or attempt to fell a tree that has a limb caught in a power line. You may not see any visible evidence the tree is electrified or dangerous. Beware of this hidden hazard. Trees that could reach a power line should never be felled by a land owner.

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“If a tree falls into a power line, stop at once! stay clear and call nearby electricity company, for transmission network call Transmission Company of Nigeria to attend to any 132kV and 330kV lines while IBEDC attention can be called to any 33kV, 11kV and 0.415kV lines respectively.

“Maintain the required clearances between any equipment and power lines. Do not stay under high tension especially during rainstorm non erect any structure under the lines. If equipment comes into contact with a power line, stop at once! Instruct the operator to stay on the equipment until help arrives. Keep others away.”

He concluded by advising that: “If a fire starts from an electrical contact or a downed power line, contain the fire if possible, but keep all firefighting equipment and people away from the downed line. Do not use water near the downed line. Notify the local fire department and Electricity Company immediately. Stay clear of the line and treat it as energised.”