SP Energy Networks is powering up residents in Edinburgh, with important electricity safety information ahead of the summer holidays to help prevent injury or harm as families enjoy their time together outdoors.

The dangers of electricity can often be hidden or overlooked, and SP Energy Networks wants to remind families of its power safety top tips to help raise awareness of staying safe around electricity.

Craig Arthur, SP Distribution Director at SP Energy Networks, gives his top tips on how to stay safe around electricity this summer:

• Check for overhead power lines –our overhead network spans 40,000km (that’s enough to wrap right round the globe) and it carries very high voltages of electricity right above our heads. So when you’re fishing, carrying large equipment (such as rugby or football goal posts), putting up a tent or flying a kite or drone, remember to look up and be careful that you don’t hit any overhead power lines.
• Avoid playing next to a substation – if you do lose a football or toy while playing nearby, never cross the fence into the grounds of a substation. You can contact SP Energy Networks and they will retrieve it for you.
• Don’t climb poles – there are plenty of hidden dangers around live power lines and climbing poles or even trees. As tempting as it might look, they should only be climbed by engineers with the correct safety equipment as even a low voltage overhead line is enough to cause serious injury or death.
• Look out for the danger of death sign – the danger of death sign means just that. If you see this on any surface or area, just steer clear.
• Keep the national 105 hotline and SP Energy Networks phone numbers somewhere handy – to report a power cut, damage to power lines or anything relating to local substations, you can call the new national freephone number 105.

For more information on keeping your family safe from the dangers of electricity, visit SP Energy Networks’ PowerWise educational tool. This free online education platform aims to raise awareness on the importance of electricity safety for all. Visit powerwise.org.uk to find out more.

SP Energy Networks owns and manages overhead and underground powerlines in Southern and Central Scotland as well as Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and North Shropshire. For more information about SP Energy Networks and its services, visit: www.spenergynetworks.co.uk.