SSEN harvest safety message builds on farming communities’ feedback with emotive campaign

As the farming calendar enters one of its busiest periods, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution is again reinforcing its commitment to safety through its annual?campaign; urging the farming community to be vigilant near its overhead and underground networks, and to prioritise their well-being during this harvest season.

Tailored and developed over the years through direct engagement and input from farming communities and organisations, this year’s campaign focuses on the impact that coming into contact with the electricity infrastructure can have on whole families, as well as the individual injured.

SSEN understands the importance of continuing to raise awareness of the potential dangers of working near overhead lines with 27 incidents reported to SSEN last year from those working in farms and fields across its network in the north of Scotland and central southern England.

Building on SSEN’s ‘Look out, Look up’ messaging, the 2024 campaign includes radio, trade press, digital and social media advertising, as well as talks, meetings and events to be held across both north and south distribution areas. These will run throughout the harvest months to enable farmers, contractors and SSEN to continue to spread the safety message from spring through to autumn.

As with many of SSEN’s campaigns, the importance is to listen and act on what customers and stakeholders say matters to them. It’s through these ongoing conversations and engagement with farming communities that this year’s ‘Look out, Look up’ safety messaging is designed to create a more meaningful impact through harder hitting words and images that is more emotive to farmers and their families.

Peter Vujanic , Head of Safety for SSEN Distribution explains more:

“SSEN’s annual initiative sets out to provide farmers, contractors and land workers with crucial information that could help save lives and prevent debilitating injuries. We like to think of the ‘Look out, Look up’ safety campaign as being designed by farmers for farmers and this year – through their feedback - we’re addressing a stronger emotional connection to improve behavioural change when it comes to safe working. “Our ongoing collaboration with farmers’ unions and the agricultural community enables us to take on board the issues important to them, so we can improve our safety messaging and reach the right people at the right time. This year, we are looking at the impact any accident or injury can have, not just on the individual, but the whole family and working from the basis that we want to compel and not just tell.”

Peter continued:

“In a typical year, around two workers are killed across the UK each year due to machinery coming in to contact with overhead electricity lines. And while we can see that the number of incidents and injuries are dropping across SSEN’s north and south regions each year, we want to keep working to reduce those numbers even further through our ‘Look out, Look up’ campaign and the advice it offers. “There can be no room for complacency and we want to ensure that everyone returns home safely to their loved ones at the end of their working day.”

SSEN has produced the following advice to help famers stay safe when working near the electricity network:?

• Before you head out on the farm,?always?check for power lines above you – ‘Look out, look up, look after yourself’.
• If your farm machinery hits a power line: stay in the cab if safe, call 105 and wait for help.
• Never?touch an overhead line and don’t assume it’s dead – always assume it’s live unless, or until, the owner of the line has confirmed that it’s dead.
• When machinery is in contact with an overhead line, anyone who touches both the machinery and the ground can be electrocuted. Stay in the machinery and lower raised parts in contact with the line or drive the machinery out of the line if you can.
• If you need to get out, to call for help or because of fire, don’t climb out in the usual way – jump out as far as possible, without touching the line or the machinery, and don’t touch any part of the machinery when on the ground.
• Call 105 and ask us to disconnect the supply. Even if the line appears dead, don’t touch it as automatic switching may reconnect the power.

To find out more about safety around the electricity network and the steps you can take to stay safe when working outdoors, please go to:?www.ssen.co.uk/farmsafety.