Raising safety awareness is an integral part of our Education programmes.
Electricity Safety
Schools over and the children are out playing. The question is, do you know where?
Make sure your children know how to stay safe.
Sometimes electicity substations look like good places to build a den, but interfering with substations is extremely hazardous at any time of the year.
If a ball or other object ends up in a substation compound children should be reminded to leave it there and not be tempted to reach it.
The electricity equipment is designed and installed to the highest standards, it is safe if left alone. 
Keep clear of equipment marked with the yellow "danger of death" symbol.
We would also like to remind people that overhead power lines carry electricity.
We have come across children using steel pylons as climbing frames - apart from the obvious danger of falling off, there is a real risk of electric shock as high voltage electricity can jump through the air.
Look out for overhead lines before fishing or flying kites and avoid these and similar leisure activities in the vicinity of overhead lines.
Why can a bird sit on overhead power lines and not get electrocuted? 
Sometimes birds perch on high voltage power lines. They are not hurt when they do this because they have both feet on the line so the electricity cannot pass through them to the earth.
Birds can sit safely on a power line because they do not complete a circuit with the ground. The ground acts like one of the wires in a circuit and so do you, this is called being 'earthed'.
Birds can touch power lines because they are not 'earthed'. You cannot touch them as you are 'earthed'.
Why is electricity dangerous?
It always tries to find the easiest path to the ground.
Electricity flows more easily through water than through air. Human Bodies contain 70% water, this means that if you touch an electric current it will pass through the water content of your body as it seeks to find the easiest path to the ground causing you to suffer an electric shock
Electric shocks can cause:
Your heart to stop beating
Your heart depends on a small regular electric stimulation to keep beating. A large shock can change the way it beats or stop it, resulting in death.
Difficulty breathing
A large electric shock can paralyse the muscles you use to breath.
Muscle contractions
The electricity causes your muscles to contract, effectively sticking you to the source of electric current and causing partial or total paralysis.
Shock
An electric shock can cause your body to go into 'shock' this means that your blood pressure falls, your pulse gets faster and you can lose consciousness. This can also result in death.
Burns
Electricity can also cause severe burns at the point it enters and leaves your body on its way to the ground.
Further information:-
Take a look at the electricity safety video - The Invisible Power, which highlights the dangers of playing around electicity.
Click here for more safety information and interactive resources from Energy Networks Association (Key Stage 1-3)
Further public safety advice can be found at Public safety near electricity installations.