Posting Signs On Electrical Poles Pose Danger To Workers

As weather warms up, more people will be posting event or yard sale signs on electrical poles, causing danger to electrical crews.

Volunteer Energy Cooperative Monterey-Crossville Area Manager Kevin Hembree said most people don’t know this is illegal and a safety hazard. Hembree said an employee can start climbing and fall because of nails and staples left behind in poles.

“We’ve seen everything from yard sale signs to realty signs to basketball goals,” Hembree said. “All the way to satellite dishes on our poles which can make it very hazardous for these people.”

Hembree said that if an employee is climbing a pole, they are likely trying to help provide service to people on an already hazardous job. Hembree said that luckily there have been no serious injuries, but want people to know the dangers before signs start being posted.

“Anytime they have to climb a pole it creates a hazard where the gaffs on their climbing gear accidentally hit a nail or hit a staple,” Hembree said. “It will cause them to lose contact with the pole. We call it cutting out of the pole and the potential to fall.”

Hembree said it is illegal to post on poles with out permission from the utility company under Tennessee state law. He said people see electrical poles as a great way for them to advertise because of their location.

“You hear about it in the industry that people get injured quite a bit,” Hembree said. “Either by catching a nail with their skin or cutting out of the pole and their gaffs coming off the pole and actually falling. We’ve been fortunate here we haven’t had any, just a few scrapes but nothing major.”