Welcome to MLEC!

Energy Safety

Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative cares about you and your safety. We work hard to educate the public about the advantages and the dangers of electricity.

Electrical Outages
Important Safety Rules to Remember
Electrical Safety Demonstration

Electrical Outages can be caused by the following:

Storms - Wind, lightning, ice and snow. It is common for these to be widespread outages. Mother nature is hard to predict.
Trees – High winds may cause branches to come in contact with power lines or for trees to fall on lines.
Vehicles – Motor vehicles sometimes crash into utilities poles or other equipment and cause an outage.
Animals - Squirrels, birds, and other animals may contact lines and cause short circuits.
Digging and Excavations – shovels and digging equipment can cause damage to underground cables.
High Power Demand – Heat waves and other unusually high power demand can overload equipment and cause an outage.

Back to the Top

IMPORTANT SAFETY RULES TO REMEMBER

INSIDE YOUR HOME

Sparks or smoke mean trouble. If you see sparks or smoke – Safely unplug and don’t use again.
If someone has been shocked or burned by electricity, do not touch the person or anything they are touching. You could become part of electricity’s path and be shocked or even killed.
Turn off the circuit breaker or disconnect the fuse for the main power to the house. Call 911.
If there is any electrical fire, do not use water. Safely unplug the appliance.
If the fire is small, use a proper chemical fire extinguisher. If the fire is NOT SMALL, leave the house.

WATER AND ELECTRICITY DON’T MIX

Never touch appliances or wires with wet hands or feet
CAUTION - LOOK UP! POWERLINES MAY BE OVERHEAD - Never trim trees near overhead lines. A tree branch has high moisture content and can conduct electricity to you if it touches an overhead line.
Never use an electrical tool or appliance if you are standing in water, on damp ground, or if your hands and feet are wet. It is not worth risking serious electrical shock. Let the job wait until conditions are right.
If the tool or appliance falls in the water, don’t reach for it. Instead, unplug it from its power source.
Never use electric trimmers and clippers around water or on wet grass and hedges.

PLAY IT SAFE AROUND ELECTRICITY

Don’t hang birdhouses or basketball hoops on electric poles.
DON’T…attach signs or announcements to utility poles. They can cause problems for personnel who climb poles for routine maintenance and repairs.
Teach kids to play it safe around electricity. Keep kites, balloons, or model airplanes away from electric power lines. Make sure and fly your kite in wide-open spaces far away from power lines. Be careful climbing trees, make absolutely sure there are no wires running through branches or touching any other part of the tree
Be careful when you install or adjust your roof antenna. Don’t raise a ladder near power lines. LOOK UP FIRST!
Take extra care when using electric appliances and tools outdoors. Make sure they’re properly grounded and that your work area is dry.
Don’t landscape or trim trees near power lines. Call us for assistance.
Test your Ground Fault Circuit interrupters to make sure they are properly working.
Never run electric cords under rugs or carpets; extension cords are for temporary use.
Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative reminds you to always assume a fallen or broken power line is ALIVE and DANGEROUS. Promptly report potential problems, such as a broken utility pole, tree branch or kite across a power line, loose wire dangling from a utility pole, any object touching a power line, or a power line lying on the ground.
STAY AWAY and call us to report it as soon as possible. If it falls on your car, you are safe as long as you stay in the car. If you must exit the car, JUMP, being careful not to touch the car and the ground at the same time.
Increase your electrical safety awareness. Always stay on the CAUTION ALERT.

Back to the Top

Electrical Safety Demonstration

Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative believes in safety. The goal of saving lives and reducing preventable power outages helped Connexus Energy to develop their high-voltage safety demonstration trailer.

This creative program is designed to teach children and adults in your community the potential dangers of contacting a power line. What a great way to get people together to learn valuable information that may save a life! Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative will bring this program to your location. We’ll teach electrical safety habits, demonstrate the power of electricity and the potential hazards associated with unsafe actions around power lines and household circuitry.

Participants will see first-hand the safety equipment used by electrical line workers. They will also get a close-up look at various conductors and components of the electrical distribution system and gain a clearer understanding of how the distribution system operates. A special emphasis on low-voltage power is also stressed during the demonstration; including, the value of electrical outlets with a Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI).

The presentation vividly shows the effects of contacting 7200 volts of electricity. Several accident scenarios are demonstrated, including:

Ladders and antennas near power lines
Ropes and kite strings near power lines
Downed wires
Digging into danger

Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative is confident you’ll be safer after participating in this program. The presentation takes approximately 45 minutes with an opportunity for questions after the presentation.

Our Member Service Team also gives low voltage safety demonstrations at local grade schools, high schools, senior centers and community organizations.

Back to the Top