State-owned power utility Eskom launched a countrywide week-long safety campaign late last month to create awareness about the responsible use of electricity.

According to the utility, public fatalities and injuries as a result of the unsafe use of electricity remain a major problem, with the bulk of such incidents being related to contact made with electricity and illegal connections. Eskom says that the “most disturbing” fact of electricity-related fatalities and injuries is that many of those killed or injured are children.

The major problem areas highlighted by Eskom are the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo. During the yearly Eskom National Electricity Safety Week, utility officials visit certain parts of the country to engage with the public and highlight the dangers associated with the unsafe use of electricity.

The Eskom National Electricity Safety Week began in Gauteng. The aim of the campaign is to make communities aware of the basics of safe electricity use and the risks associated with electricity theft, meter tampering and bypassing, as well as illegal connections. The power utility wants people to know how to identify the dangers and what to do if, or when, they spot them.

Eskom corporate occupational health and safety senior manager Jace Naidoo says the utility occasionally gets reports of people being injured or losing their lives as a result of the unsafe use of electricity. “As Eskom, we want to get to a point where we eliminate all injuries and fatalities caused by electricity; hence, we are going to the communities to ask them to help us in this fight. We are aware of the biggest causes of these incidents and would like to appeal to our consumers to assist us by avoiding connecting illegally or making contact with low-hanging cables.”

Through this campaign, Eskom also seeks to encourage all community members to report any unsafe conditions or connections they come across by calling 08600 Eskom (37566). This includes any cases of dangerously exposed or low-hanging cables, illegal connections, vandalism and cable theft. “In the case of illegal connections, danger is posed not only to the people who connect to the Eskom network illegally, but also to the rest of their community. Moreover, Eskom says illegal connections draw more electricity from the network than anticipated, which causes power failures and inconvenience to law-abiding paying customers.

Eskom advises that only a qualified electrician undertake repairs or the connection of any electrical connections. Only authorised Eskom employees and contractors are permitted to work on any Eskom structures.