With
the first bank holiday of the month now over, how many of us have
hazy memories of the weekend induced by drink? Hopefully no one was
tempted to go and climb an electricity pylon or pole but just in case
you were......you now have advance warning not to attempt this ever.
In
a scenario that resembles a stunt in a movie (or a child in a
playground, depending on how you view the story,) the man fell from
the power line – unharmed – into a safety net that had been
placed there by fire fighters. Much later and this story may well
have had a different ending.
If
nothing else, our blog post today will hopefully serve as a warning
to anyone who is ever tempted to climb pylons. How the man got up to
the power lines in the first place is a mystery, had he have touched
a power line over here in the UK which can
carry up to 5000 volts
per metre
he would have been killed instantly. Miraculously, the power to
these
power lines was turned off whilst the rescue took place, this man is
very lucky indeed.
In
the UK, UK Power Networks, educate people continuously on the dangers
of climbing pylons. This is particularly beneficial to children who
may find climbing a pylon tempting in the face of boredom or as a
prank amongst friends. Pylons
are clearly marked with a yellow label which says 'Danger of Death'
if you see this sign and you are not in the area to carry out an
authorised job then you should stay well away.
Despite
safety platforms which are surrounded by barbed wire and
located around 100 feet from the ground,
some youngsters are still managing to get above it. Whilst the
majority of people know not to go near electricity pylons, it seems
they are a target for those under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
It
is also worth noting that power lines need to be avoided when
carrying out work and other leisure activities such as flying a kite.
Many accidents occur
every year from power lines where no account has been taken for their
presence. Work with cranes, tipper vehicles, scaffold poles and
ladders have all been inadvertently been in contact with power lines
in the past.
The video showing the man visibly bouncing on
the overhead cables which was filmed only last month had a lucky
escape. Although he was not in the UK, it
does not take much electricity to kill. Mains electricity the UK is
230 Volts, however it can take far less than this to actually kill
you.
With
many stark warnings surrounding electricity safety in the home, this
video serves as a warning at the other end of the spectrum!
The video can be viewed by following the link - http://bbc.in/XVKhil
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