No, nothing, nada.
No wireless internet or satellite receiver, no basketball goal, no barbed-wire fencing, no garage sale sign. Nothing should be attached to a utility pole except the power equipment placed there by trained personnel.
It is a matter of access. It is a matter of safety. It is a matter of law.
A Cotton Electric utility pole belongs to the cooperative. The co-op retains rights of access to the pole in order to provide quality service to the members.
In order to gain access to a pole, attached items such as signs and fences will be removed by Cotton Electric employees.
Posters or other objects (birdhouses, balloons, flags, and even basketball nets) can create dangerous obstacles.. Also, the nails and tacks left behind from signs can snag utility workers’ boots or puncture safety clothing, making lineworkers vulnerable to slipping or even electrocution.
Items higher up on the pole will be removed if they present a safety hazard. The closer an item is to the line and any other equipment, the bigger the hazard.
An extreme example was discovered recently by Robert Martinez, a construction crew leader for CEC. “I just happened to look up,” he said, “and was surprised by what I saw.”
A wireless internet receiver had been mounted high up on a pole, so close to a transformer that some of the line brushed against the back of the device.
Martinez said, “I wondered how someone might have done that without getting killed.”
He said the receiver was within three feet of a 7200-volt primary line. Quoting safety policies followed by CEC employees, he said, “We can’t get closer than 4 feet, 2 inches to something like that without wearing insulated gloves.
“It was too close for comfort.” Martinez said it was the worst safety hazard of this type he’d seen in his 29 years with Cotton Electric. He took immediate steps to de-energize the transformer and have the device removed.
A situation like that is prohibited by Oklahoma state statute. Under Title 63, addressing public health and safety, section 981 states, “Activity within six feet of high voltage overhead line or conductor (is) prohibited.” Section 984 outlines consequences, saying a conviction can result in a $500 fine or six months imprisonment or both.
The poles seem like ideal mounts for receivers in areas with lots of trees. Those being used to bring power to the area are not an option, but members do have another alternative.
Cotton Electric will sell and install a pole for a member. A crew will determine a safe location, dig and place the pole for about $300.
The pole then becomes the property of the member to use as they please.
No wireless internet or satellite receiver, no basketball goal, no barbed-wire fencing, no garage sale sign. Nothing should be attached to a utility pole except the power equipment placed there by trained personnel.
It is a matter of access. It is a matter of safety. It is a matter of law.
A Cotton Electric utility pole belongs to the cooperative. The co-op retains rights of access to the pole in order to provide quality service to the members.
In order to gain access to a pole, attached items such as signs and fences will be removed by Cotton Electric employees.
Posters or other objects (birdhouses, balloons, flags, and even basketball nets) can create dangerous obstacles.. Also, the nails and tacks left behind from signs can snag utility workers’ boots or puncture safety clothing, making lineworkers vulnerable to slipping or even electrocution.
Items higher up on the pole will be removed if they present a safety hazard. The closer an item is to the line and any other equipment, the bigger the hazard.
An extreme example was discovered recently by Robert Martinez, a construction crew leader for CEC. “I just happened to look up,” he said, “and was surprised by what I saw.”
A wireless internet receiver had been mounted high up on a pole, so close to a transformer that some of the line brushed against the back of the device.
Martinez said, “I wondered how someone might have done that without getting killed.”
He said the receiver was within three feet of a 7200-volt primary line. Quoting safety policies followed by CEC employees, he said, “We can’t get closer than 4 feet, 2 inches to something like that without wearing insulated gloves.
“It was too close for comfort.” Martinez said it was the worst safety hazard of this type he’d seen in his 29 years with Cotton Electric. He took immediate steps to de-energize the transformer and have the device removed.
A situation like that is prohibited by Oklahoma state statute. Under Title 63, addressing public health and safety, section 981 states, “Activity within six feet of high voltage overhead line or conductor (is) prohibited.” Section 984 outlines consequences, saying a conviction can result in a $500 fine or six months imprisonment or both.
The poles seem like ideal mounts for receivers in areas with lots of trees. Those being used to bring power to the area are not an option, but members do have another alternative.
Cotton Electric will sell and install a pole for a member. A crew will determine a safe location, dig and place the pole for about $300.
The pole then becomes the property of the member to use as they please.
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