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 lineworkers and the public in peril.

It may seem innocent, but a small nail partially driven into a pole can have deadly results around high-voltage electricity.

Your local electric co-op 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 our line personnel. Sharp objects like nails, tacks, staples or barbed wire can puncture rubber gloves and other safety equipment, making linemen vulnerable to electrocution.

Lineworkers with electric co-ops have reported poles used as community bulletin boards, satellite mounts and even support legs for deer stands, lights and carports. Not only do these attachments put line crews at risk, anyone illegally placing these items on poles comes dangerously close to energized power lines with thousands of volts of energy pulsing overhead. It’s always wise to keep any structure at least 10 feet away from utility poles.

Please help us keep our linemen — and our community — safe. Don’t attach any of these unauthorized and dangerous items to utility poles.