UK power networks teach pupils to stay safe around electricity

London schoolchildren received potentially life-saving advice on staying safe around electricity from a local power company

Safety advisors from UK Power Networks, which distributes electricity across the South East, made a special visit to the Old Palace Prep School, in Croydon.

The focus was on the importance of the power network in everyday life and why it matters to be aware of the dangers of high voltage electricity.

UK Power Networks engages with around 250,000 people of all ages each year on public safety and met with Key Stage 2 pupils.

Ros Forbes, a safety advisor at UK Power Networks, said: “Our safety sessions open children’s eyes to the wonders of electricity, while alerting them to the potential hazards to help them stay safe around electricity throughout their lives.

“We discuss why electricity is so important and how it gets to our schools and homes through overhead and underground cables. We talk about the risks that come with electricity and the kind of hazards they might encounter during recreational activities.

“We showed the children how to identify our equipment, discussed what the yellow ‘danger of death’ sign means to them and why they should ring us on 105 if they ever spot a hazard on the electricity network, such as a power line brought down in a storm.

“They also made an electrical circuit to show how electricity works and we took along our safety clothing, to try on and talked about the different jobs in the industry, which might interest them in the future.”

The children are taught never to enter substations to retrieve items and to look up for overhead electricity cables when kite flying.

Jodene Panteli, head of prep, said: “The children enjoyed the lesson and learnt important lessons from UK Power Networks about staying safe around the electricity network.

“Electricity plays such a vital role in all our lives, but it can also be dangerous. The children listened carefully to the advice from Ros, the safety advisor who delivered the highly engaging and informative workshop. This inspired excellent questions from the pupils, which Ros answered in appropriate detail.

“The children learnt to ‘look up’ and ‘look out’ to avoid coming into contact with electricity. This is an important lesson we hope will keep them safe around electricity throughout their lives.”