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- 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. If you get something stuck in a power line, call MLEC to get it.
- 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 from power lines, meters, transformers, and electrical boxes.
- Keep a safe distance from overhead power lines when working with ladders or installing objects such as antennas.
- Never touch or go near a downed power line.
- Don’t touch anything that may be touching a downed wire, such as a car.
- Keep children and pets away.
