Look up and live: Safety warning for kiwifruit orchard workers

With the kiwifruit harvest about to get underway across Bay of Plenty, electricity lines company Powerco is reminding orchard workers to stay safe around overhead power lines.

The busy harvest period brings an increase in people, machinery and activity in orchards and, with that, a higher risk of serious electrical incidents.

Powerco’s General Manager Electricity, Karen Frew, is urging those working in orchards to stay alert and to take simple precautions to avoid potential life-changing accidents.

“Electricity can kill. You don’t even need to touch a power line to be in danger. Electricity can jump to your equipment and to you,” she says.

Tall machinery such as hydraladas, cherry pickers, elevating work platforms or dump truck beds are commonly used during harvest and can easily come within unsafe distances of overhead lines if workers aren’t paying attention.

Powerco is encouraging everyone working in orchards to look up and check for overhead lines before starting work, keep at least 4 metres away from power lines and plan ahead by identifying hazards to stay safe.

“We know harvest is a high-pressure time, but taking a moment to look up and check your surroundings can prevent a serious incident,” says Karen Frew.

“Orchard owners, managers and contractors all have a role to play in making sure everyone goes home safely at the end of the day.”

The look up message also applies when building structures in the orchard, such as artificial shelter belts or raising canopies – when you must be at least 8.5 metres clear of electrical equipment. By law, orchardists and builders must follow these regulations that govern safety when building near overhead power lines.