Agricultural Safety Program Reducing the risks in the agricultural workplace!

 

Gas and Electric Safety on the Farm and Ranch: What You Should Know
(Summary of Safety Breakfast Meeting held Wednesday, May 12, 1999)

ELECTRICITY AND GAS: PLEASE USE THEM SAFELY

"Look up and live!" That is the persistent message being given to farm and ranch workers by the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) these days. California's central and coastal valleys are some of the richest agricultural areas in the country, and one technology that has greatly bolstered production has been electricity - to run pumps that deliver irrigation water throughout the area, noted PG&E spokesman David Powell during Fresno State's May Safety Breakfast Meeting. The meetings are hosted monthly by the university's Center for Agricultural Business.

"Electricity and gas can be found everywhere on the farm and ranch," noted Powell, a senior program manager in public safety for PG&E. And where you find electricity, you will probably find electrical lines - since for decades that has been the conventional method for delivering the power. One problem is that people get perhaps too familiar with electrical lines above and around them.

"Electricity and gas are so safe and reliable that people may forget that they're thee... until an accident happens. Every year, farm and ranch workers are injured and killed because they accidentally hit power or gas lines overhead or underground," Powell noted.

PG&E offers suggestions to people in all types of farm and processing operations to enable them to avoid common electric and gas hazards on the farm or ranch. Following are the basics:

WHY CAN ELECTRICITY BE DANGEROUS?

Electricity always follows the shortest path to ground. It will flow through many materials such as water or metal. Even the human body easily conducts electricity.

If you make contact with an electric line - by touching it with your body or with equipment you are holding, standing on, or riding in - you will be shocked. A strong electric shock can cause severe burns or death. Even a mild shock can make your muscles contract and make you fall.

To stay safe, always remember the 10-foot rule: Keep vehicles, equipment, tools and people at least 10 feet away from power lines.

LOOK OUT FOR THE MOST DANGEROUS SITUATIONS

Following is a list of common agricultural-related tasks that can become dangerous operations when conducted near power lines. PG&E offers these suggestions to make these operations safe:

• Putting irrigation pipes together - Keep irrigation pipes level with the ground. Do not stand it on it's end, or you could hit a power line.
• Driving farm equipment - Before turning a harvester or tractor around, check for power lines. Make sure there is enough room to turn safely without hitting a power pole or its supporting guy wires. Picking fruit or pruning trees - Check for power lines running through or near trees before starting work. Branches may have grown too close to a power line.
• Tying down loads - Check for overhead power lines before throwing ropes or other lines over a truck bed to tie down a load. A wet or dirty rope can carry electricity.
• Look before you work - Your job can take you to many different places. Wherever you are, always look for power lines BEFORE you start work.
• Warn your fellow workers - Tell your co-workers about possible electric dangers.

UNDERGROUND GAS AND ELECTRIC SERVICES: DIG WITH CARE

Call before you dig! If you're planning to dig or excavate for any reason, you need to know what's underground. Striking a buried gas pipe or electric line with a shovel, backhoe or other equipment can be very hazardous to people and property. Damaged gas pipes can leak natural gas, creating an explosion hazard. Hitting an electric line can cause power outages and shock or even kill equipment operators.

If you find a damaged or exposed gas or electric line,

• Call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000; or,
• In an emergency, call 911

If you accidentally damage an underground line,

• Leave equipment without turning off engines or generators;
• Put out all flames;
• Leave the area quickly and warn others;
• Do not attempt to operate any gas pipeline valves;
• Call PG&E immediately

To find out where buried lines are located, call the Underground Service Alert (USA) at least two working days before you start to dig. Their toll-free number is 1-800-272-2600.

UPCOMING SAFETY BREAKFAST MEETINGS

The next safety breakfast meeting hosted by CAB will be "CAL/OSHA Is Coming to Your Workplace... Are You Prepared?" The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 9, 1999. Speaker will L George Daniels III, executive vice president of the Farm Employers Labor Service.

The meeting will be held from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the CATI Conference Room at the California Agricultural Technology Institute, 2910 E. Barstow Ave., Fresno, California.

Safety Breakfast meetings are hosted monthly (normally each second Wednesday) by the Center for Agricultural Business. The purpose is to provide a forum for safety professionals to meet and exchange ideas, information and concerns. Topics vary according to interests and needs of the agricultural and agribusiness industries.

More than 20 sponsoring businesses and organizations currently provide financial support for the safety breakfast meetings. Sponsors names are listed on publicity fliers and signs at the meetings. For more information or to discuss becoming a sponsor, call (559) 278-4405.


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CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE - CATI
College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
California State University, Fresno