Consumers Energy Urges People To Put Safety First, Don't Attach Promotional Signs To Utility Poles
January 26 2007 - 7:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
JACKSON, Mich., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Consumers Energy
has a friendly safety reminder for those looking to promote a new
business or service - don't attach signs to utility poles. Nailing,
stapling, tacking or pinning posters or fliers of any type on
utility poles is not allowed and can be dangerous. "We've noticed
an increase in sign attachments on utility poles, particularly in
promoting new businesses. We ask people to refrain from doing this,
both for their own safety, as well as the safety of our electric
line workers," said James Feahr, Consumers Energy's land management
field representative. Feahr noted a recent incident in Grand Rapids
in which an individual suffered burns to his hand and face when he
struck a power line carrying 7,200 volts of electricity while
nailing a sign to a utility pole. That incident knocked out
electric service to more than 6,500 homes and businesses for
approximately three hours. "People often forget that utility poles
contain electrical wires. We urge people to find a safe way to
advertise their business or service, and not by attaching signs to
utility poles," said Feahr. In addition, during an electric outage,
a line worker may have to climb a utility pole in order to restore
electric service. Nails and other pieces of hard metal interfere
with the ability of climbing spikes to grip the poles. If a line
worker loses footing, the resulting fall could cause serious injury
or even be fatal. Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS
Energy, provides natural gas and electricity to nearly 6.5 million
of Michigan's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula
counties. For more information about Consumers Energy, visit our
Website at http://www.consumersenergy.com/ DATASOURCE: Consumers
Energy CONTACT: Jeff Holyfield, +1-517-788-2394, or Dan Bishop,
+1-517-788-2395, or Timothy J. Pietryga, +1-616-530-4364, all for
Consumers Energy Web site: http://www.consumersenergy.com/ Company
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