South
Kentucky RECC
Safety
and Show Biz
December 1995
A power line
falls across a truck, and when the man inside grabs the door handle
and steps onto the ground, he glows orange-red like a neon sign.
Actually, he is a neon sign, and the truck is a toy. But the point
is made that electricity can be not only powerfully productive, but
powerfully dangerous. The 12-inch-tall figure of a man is part of a
model neighborhood built by Eddie Owens, supervisor of loss control
and training with South Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative
headquartered in Somerset.
For nearly 20
years, Eddie has been using a 4-foot by 2-foot tabletop model to
demonstrate the dangers of electricity, and how to treat it safely.
He regularly makes presentations in area classrooms, but also brings
his demonstration to churches, senior citizen groups, and volunteer
fire fighters.
The program has
proven so popular that Eddie has helped other consumer-owned
electric co-ops in the state build similar models. He’s built them
for about 20 co-ops, covering a good part of the state. This year
the project earned even wider recognition with an award for
development of the most outstanding safety program from the National
Utility Training and Safety Education Association.
Recognition is
nice, but increasing people's awareness of how to treat electricity
safely is the real reward. Eddie’s model, with its lights and
sparks, “really gets people’s attention,” says Keith Sloan,
president and general manager of the South Kentucky co-op.
For his part,
Eddie is especially interested in talking with the school groups.
“Adults are important, but if we can train the children, there
will be less accidents.”
What are the most
common misconceptions Eddie helps clear up during his presentations?
“A lot of people don’t realize that the lines overhead are
uninsulated, and you can get shocked and killed by coming in contact
with them. A lot of people think a piece of wood can be used to move
a line, but nearly all wood has some moisture in it and moisture
will conduct electricity. Even a broom handle might have some oil or
grease on the outside and that will conduct electricity. Even a
plastic pipe might have some frost or moisture on the surface that
will conduct electricity. And even though a line is down doesn’t
mean it’s dead. The lesson is, stay away from power lines.”
Eddie knows that
these days it’s hard to get people’s attention. He hopes that
the show biz and razzle dazzle of his demonstrations provide a
lesson that stays with people, and makes them safer. He says, “It’s
difficult to assess the value of this kind of project in dollars.
But you never know how many lives you’ve saved.”-Paul Wesslund |
