With the theft of electrical wire on the increase because of the soaring price of copper, the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) today warned that the activity can have lethal consequences.
“Since March, there have been at least three electrocution deaths in Kentucky associated with the theft or removal of electric wire,” PSC Chairman Mark David Goss said at a news conference today. “These deaths are wholly unnecessary and preventable. The underlying cause is entirely unacceptable.
“There are any number of good reasons not to steal electric wire,” Goss said. “It is against the law. It creates outages and other reliability problems. It endangers the utility personnel who are called upon to repair the damage. It imposes repair and replacement costs on utilities.”
Most importantly, “it can get you killed,” Goss said. “So, if you are thinking that stealing a few hundred feet of electric wire is a quick way to earn some easy money, our message today is simple: Don’t do it!”
Goss also noted that one of the recent fatalities involved the legal removal of unused, non utility wire from private property. The electrocution occurred while the individual tried to disconnect the wire from a utility-owned pole.
That death was a tragedy that could have been prevented with a single phone call, Goss said. Anyone with permission to salvage wire should first contact the local utility to ensure that the removal can be done safely, he said.
In addition to Goss, speakers at the press conference included representatives of major Kentucky electric companies, including Kentucky Power Co. (American Electric Power), Duke Energy Kentucky, East Kentucky Power Cooperative and E.ON U.S., parent company of Louisville Gas & Electric Co. (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities Co.
The Kentucky Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives was represented by Eddie Black, a South Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative Corp. lineman who was severely injured in a high-voltage accident and who now speaks to utility workers about electrical safety.
The event concluded with a demonstration by a team of LG&E workers, who showed the dangers of contact with high-voltage electrical lines.
The PSC is an agency within the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet. It
regulates more than 1,500 gas, water, sewer, electric and telecommunication utilities operating in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and has approximately 110 employees.
QUOTES FROM COPPER THEFT NEWS CONFERENCE
Bob Shurtleff - Safety and Health Manager - AEP/Kentucky Power:
“Certainly the amount of money one can gain from copper theft does not compare to the value of his or her life.”
“You may be saving someone’s life” by reporting copper theft to law enforcement authorities.
Kevin Osbourn - Manager of Communications - East Kentucky Power Cooperative:
“The cooperatives on EKPC’s system are seeing a definite increase in instances of the theft of copper or equally dangerous attempts to steal power.”
“Our not-for-profit cooperatives are incurring tens of thousands of dollars in cost to replace stolen equipment.”
Jim Mehring - General Manager, Substation Engineering – Duke Energy Kentucky:
“We are seeing a marked increase in the number of break-ins at our substations. In addition to financial impacts, this has created safety and reliability concerns for Duke Energy.”
“These intruders are in an environment that is very dangerous.”
Chip Keeling – Vice President for Communications – E.ON U.S. (LG&E/KU):
“Copper theft is literally a matter of life and death. Each attempt to steal copper creates the potential for serious injury or death-- not just to the thief, but also to our employees and customers.”
“We’re asking the public to join us in being vigilant and to report any information related to copper thefts by notifying their local law enforcement agency.”
Eddie Black – lineman/safety team leader - South Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative, safety trainer for the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives (Mr. Black lost both his hands as the result of an accidental contact with a high-voltage line):
“The human body is…a very, very good conductor of electricity.”
“It will literally burn you from the inside out.”
Copper theft “is a no-win situation. You are going to get hurt or you are going to die. It’s one or the other.”