To report a power cut or damage to electricity power lines or substations, call the new national Freephone number 105.
Each year people are injured and even killed in avoidable accidents involving electricity. Follow our safety dos and don’ts to keep you and your family safe at home and at play.
At Home
Do
DOs AT HOME
- Always read the manufacturer's instructions before you use appliances.
- Ensure that correct fuses are used in equipment – check manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Use the correct wattage of lamp in light fittings.
- Make sure adaptors have a suitable fuse & accept three pin plugs.
- Always unreel extension cables when in use.
- Check appliances, leads, cables, plugs and sockets for damage, wear and tear.
- Blank off unused sockets with a plastic blank.
- Have your house wiring checked every five years.
- Ensure electrical equipment used in the garden is protected by a RCD (residual current device).
Don't
DON'Ts AT HOME
- Carry out repairs to electrical equipment unless you are qualified to do so.
- Tape up damaged plugs, sockets, cables or electrical equipment.
- Run cables under carpets or staple them to the skirting board or wall.
- Touch electrical appliances with wet hands.
- Take mains electrical equipment into the bathroom - water and electricity do not mix!
- Poke metal objects, such as forks, into jammed toasters or grills.
- Put fingers into electrical sockets or empty light fittings.
- Use electrical equipment outside when it's raining.
In the garden
Do
DOs IN THE GARDEN
- Be aware and garden with care
- Contact SP Energy Networks for free underground network plans before carrying out any major DIY in your garden
- Watch out for overhead power lines when working with ladders or when pruning and cutting trees in your garden
- Always treat electricity cables and power lines as live unless confirmed otherwise by SP Energy Networks
- Maintain a safe distance from overhead power lines – electricity can jump gaps
- Call 999 in the event of an electrical emergency or accident
- Call 105 to report a power cut or to our electricity network
Don't
DON'Ts IN THE GARDEN
- Garden without assessing the electrical hazards first
- Use picks, pinch bars or garden forks to dig near cables - underground cables don’t run in straight lines, they can change direction and depth
- Dig or install fence posts near buried electrical cables
- Burn garden rubbish under overhead power lines
- Assume that lines on wooden poles are telephone wires; most overhead power lines are supported on wooden poles
At Play
Do
DOs AT PLAY
- Look up and look out for electricity wires.
- If possible, enjoy your leisure activities at least 30m away from overhead power lines.
- Stay out of disused buildings and excavation sites.
- Report vandalism to the local electricity company or the police.
- Contact SP Energy Networks for safety advice if your sports club use a site with overhead power lines.
- Ensure you are aware of the location of overhead power lines in the vicinity when ballooning, hang gliding, flying microlights, gliders or model aircraft.
Don't
DON'TS AT PLAY
- Play ball games, or with kites, near substations or try to retrieve lost items from these enclosures.
- Attempt to climb pylons, or wooden electricity pole or trees near electricity wires.
- Manoeuvre tall-mast boats, tipper trucks or diggers near overhead lines.
- Carry tent poles, ladders or other long objects near overhead wires.
- Don't fish or carry long carbon fiber fishing rods near overhead wires.
- Play in rivers or lochs around Hydro Schemes.
- Pitch a tent or caravan directly under or close to an overhead power line.
Safety Matters Leaflets