Pole Attachments Put Lineworkers at Risk

What do yard sale signs, basketball hoops, deer stands, satellite dishes, and birdhouses have in common? They’re often found illegally attached to utility poles. But this isn’t only a crime of inconvenience. Safety issues caused by unapproved pole attachments place the lives of Wharton County Electric Cooperative lineworkers and the public in peril.

Many people may wonder, “What’s the big deal?” To them, it may seem like a simple matter of convenience to use a utility pole as a bulletin board or support structure. But to co-op line personnel, an obstruction on a pole is, indeed, a very big deal.

Our line crews climb utility poles at all hours of the day and night, in the worst of conditions. Anything attached to utility poles can create serious hazards for them while they’re on the job. Sharp objects like nails, tacks, staples, or barbed wire can puncture rubber gloves and other safety equipment, stripping away critical protection from high-voltage electricity. Even a small nail partially driven into an electrical pole can leave a lineworker vulnerable to electric shock.

Lineworkers regularly see poles used as community bulletin boards, satellite mounts, and even as support legs for deer stands, lights, and carports. These attachments put line crews at risk, but anyone illegally placing them on poles also comes dangerously close to energized power lines, where thousands of volts of electricity pulse overhead. It’s always wise to keep yourself and any structure at least 10 feet away from utility poles.

Unauthorized pole attachments also violate the National Electric Safety Code. With this danger in mind, many states, including Texas, have laws prohibiting unapproved attachments to utility poles.

Please help us keep our lineworkers—and our community—safe. Remove any unauthorized items attached to utility poles. Fixtures, signs, or other items not belonging to the cooperative or another utility will be removed and discarded by WCEC personnel; the co-op is not responsible for any losses if an item needs to be removed.