23 March 2005 00:00 Central Networks tell children in the West Midlands to ‘play safe, not with your life’ at Easter
The old saying that ‘boys will be boys’ often rings true when it comes to taking safety near electrical equipment less than seriously, according to electricity distribution company Central Networks.
After a number of incidents of vandalism and dangerous behaviour, the company is urging local boys – and children generally – to stay away from its electrical equipment or risk being seriously hurt.
For example, boys in Redditch were recently found tampering with a service connector, which is an essential bit of kit that only trained engineers should touch.
Public safety adviser Anita Davis said “The kids, although innocently playing, were in danger. The boys caused the connector to fault and spark.
“On this occasion they were lucky and were not injured, but they could have been seriously hurt.
“It’s a sad fact, but, when our equipment is broken into or tampered with, it’s often young lads who are to blame.
“We want all children to play safely outside and inside their home and to understand the dangers that they can easily avoid. Boys and girls should understand that playing with our equipment means playing with their life.”
To get the message across, Central Networks are urging local boys and girls to be on their BEST behaviour:
B - Be safe and don’t climb electricity poles or pylons;
E - Electricity kills, don’t risk your life by touching any electrical equipment or wires that you may see and tell an adult if you see something that you think is dangerous;
S - Stay away from overhead lines with kites, fishing lines and model aeroplanes – electricity can travel down kite strings and fishing wires and could seriously hurt or even kill you;
T - Tell an adult if your football goes into a substation – they’ll be able to call Central Networks who will get your ball back safely.
For more top tips children can check out Central Networks’ fun-packed electricity safety website found at www.powerdiscoveryzone.com
To spread its safety message across the region, Central Networks’ safety team visit local primary schools every week in its special Power Discovery Truck. Full of interactive games and activities, it’s designed to be fun and informative and teach children valuable lessons about the potential dangers of electricity. More information on how to book the Truck for your local primary school follow the links found in the Teacher’s section of Power Discovery Zone website.
Ends
Notes to editors:
• Central Networks is the new name for Midlands Electricity and East Midlands Electricity. The company brings power to 4.8 million customers across the East and West Midlands through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables and via almost 97,000 substations;
• Central Networks covers an area from the Peak District in the north to parts of Bristol in the south, and from the Welsh Borders to the Lincolnshire Coast.
For further information contact:
Rebecca Middleton on 024 7642 5779
Kathy Doyle on 024 7642 4292
Select E.ON UK and Central Networks images are available free of charge from www.newscast.co.uk