Public Safety Announcements
Right of Way Maintenance
Dixie Electric Power Association will begin its right of way maintenance program out of the Hebron Substation. This will include Hebron, Summerland, Gitano, and Centerville. The maintenance will take approximately 3 months to complete.
Dixie Electric Power Association has contracted M&M Line Clearance and Carson Line Clearance to perform this work which will involve the cutting and trimming of trees along Dixie Electric Power Association lines. This work is necessary to help eliminate future problems from dead, weak, leaning trees and limbs that could result in power outages.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call Dixie Electric Power Association at 601-425-2535.
Be alert to overhead power lines
Serious outdoor accidents involving electricity occur on farms and all types of work sites. But most of these accidents could be prevented, with these few simple safety steps from Dixie Electric Power Association. :
- First, make sure you, your family and your employees know the location of overhead power lines, and map out ways to avoid them when moving equipment. Make sure everyone understands that any contact with these lines carries the potential for a serious, even fatal, accident. Taking a moment before beginning work could save a life.
- To prevent accidental contact with lines, everyone should know the height of all your farm equipment and the height of the lines. Mississippi state law provides a 10 foot right of way along either side of a power line: tall equipment must be kept out of the right of way.
- Be extra careful when moving pipes. Many electrical accidents on farms occur when irrigation pipes are accidentally raised into power lines. The combination can be deadly.
- Avoid moving large equipment alone. Have someone watch as you drive equipment to ensure that you stay clear of power lines.
- These rules also apply to guy wires, which support power line poles. Steer mowers, tractors and other equipment clear of these wires. Damaging guy wires can weaken the poles and even cause them to topple, bringing live power lines down onto the ground and creating an extremely hazardous situation.
- Caution should be taken in directing any T.V. or CB Radio antenna. Contact can kill!
Substations are no place for play
Electrical substations are surrounded by high fences for a good reason: they are no place for children to play and explore.
An electrical substation operates under a high-voltage electrical load, as much as 100,000 volts.
“That’s reason enough for unauthorized individuals to stay away from them,” said Phillip Shaw, Operations Manager of Dixie Electric Power Association. “But young children may not understand the danger involved in playing around a substation. It’s up to us to teach them the danger that lies within that high fence.”
An electrical substation receives high-voltage electricity delivered from generating plants by long-distance power lines and converts it to a lower voltage for distribution to consumers.
Utility workers who maintain the substation know the potential hazards and are specially trained in working with high voltages. The rest of us must stay away from substations and teach children to respect this danger zone.