06 March 2003 00:00 CABLESAFE SCHEME HELPS CUT POWER CUTS

A pioneering East Midlands Electricity venture has helped reduce third party cable damage - and supply interruptions - by almost a fifth in just one year.

EME's CableSafe scheme was established in February 2002 in response to the thousands of power cables being damaged in the East Midlands Electricity region. Reports show that CableSafe has reduced these damages by up to 16% to date with 1412 visits in the year 2002.

In 2001, there were 5101 third party cable damages with a cost of £1.97million. In 2002 this was cut to 4352 cable damages with a cost of £1.68 million.

This shows an actual saving of 749 cable damages at a cost of 289K. With only one in three damages reported, there was also a possible saving of 1,498 damages with a cost of 579K.

Martin Baker, Asset Operations Manager for EME, said: "This is a free service that aims to prevent injuries and save lives, while also protecting the distribution network from interruptions to supply. The scheme offers advice and training to a range of local organisations, including builders, contractors, councils and colleges."

Third party cable damage is a real and frequent problem. If builders or contractors hit a cable they risk serious injury or death. Damaged cables cost thousands to repair and affect large numbers of people, who could be left without power.


In addition, unsafe work practices can lead to instant dismissal, HSE and environmental prosecutions.

Martin said: "East Midlands Electricity is delighted with both the response the CableSafe initiative has received so far and the benefits it is clearly delivering."

And Martin sent out a special message to all companies that could end up digging near electricity cable
"Before you dig, get the low down. Underground and overhead cables are everywhere. Working without knowing where it's safe to dig can cause serious injuries, expensive cable damage and even loss of life," he said.

The CableSafe message is simple: Be safe, be CableSafe.

People should:
· Read and understand the cable plans;
· Use a locating device to check for underground cables;
· Hand dig trial holes to confirm the position of cables;
· Use a locating device even while you dig;
· Treat all cables as live;
· Report any damage, even if it all seems to have no effect on the cable.
ENDS
For further Information contact:
Kathy Doyle on 024 7642 4292