NEAR MISS... A South Australian farmer was lucky to walk away after this incident, which damaged electricity infrastructure and the farmer’s machinery.
Advertising Promotion
SA POWER Networks has launched a new advertising campaign urging farmers to stay alert to the risk from powerlines and other electrical infrastructure on rural properties.
On average there are more than 20 incidents on farms each year involving powerlines being struck by vehicles.
There are also countless near misses and incidents where work is done far too close to powerlines.
Launched to coincide with the beginning of the sowing season, the new campaign focuses on inattentional blindness, a psychologically recognised behaviour in which people gradually don’t notice things they see every day.
“We have so much information bombarding us that our brain gets really good at reducing the input so we can focus on what we think is most important at the time,” SA Power Networks head of corporate affairs Paul Roberts said.
“We are making thousands of decisions basically on autopilot, and we stop noticing things that actually could kill us.
“So our campaign is about getting people engaged in actively thinking about the risk from Stobie poles, which can go unnoticed on farms with potentially disastrous consequences.”
What you don’t notice can kill you, will be the campaign’s focus.
“This isn’t about blaming farmers — it is about recognising this is how we are as humans,” Paul said.
“We want to break that cycle and ensure farmers, their families and all their contractors are mindful and paying full attention when working on their properties.”
Paul said television, radio, press and digital advertising will take the safety message to all parts of regional South Australia as sowing commences, with a specific focus on broadacre farming regions where most vehicle-related incidents occur.
“SA Power Networks is also launching its first advertising campaign tackling issues around use of high vehicles such as tipper trucks around powerlines,” Paul said.
“In producing this campaign, a big thanks to our brand strategy and creative partner NATION Creative, production company Visualizm, production partners Mattrixx Audio and Alex Robertson Photography, and to Ramsey Bros. and Spry Civil Construction Murray Bridge for their valuable assistance.”
You can watch the What you don’t notice can kill you — Farm safety campaign television adverts at https://www.youtube.com/c/SAPowerNetworks_1/playlists.
Keep safety at front of mind
SA POWER Networks urges everyone who lives or works on a farm to carry out safety checks before working the land.
Powerlines, Stobie poles and stay wires are part of our landscape, and sometimes we don’t notice they are there.
Before you get started, carry out careful planning and safety checks.
Know the exact height of your machinery and equipment – especially when you’re using an air seeder — and update your GPS with the location of power assets.
