Power-pole posters a safety hazard, B.C. Hydro says

Utility poles on Vancouver Island are getting slathered with posters and B.C. Hydro wants it to stop.

The nails and screws used to affix the posters to the wood poles can injure linemen who have to climb them to carry out repairs, said Ted Olynyk, B.C. Hydro spokesman.

"It’s [a] safety hazard for our crews and a violation of WorkSafe regulations," said Olynyk.

"Not only is it a safety hazard to try to deal with the sign, but we also have to be mindful of the nail or screw that’s remaining after we take the sign off," Olynyk said. "Safety is a priority for us."

Don Fulcher was a lineman for 30 years and now is the regional manager for Saltspring Island and Duncan. He knows full well the hazards of screws and nails stuck in poles.

"When you’re climbing the poles, our spur may not go into the pole. . . . It may rest on the staple and then you put your weight on it and out it pops. The spur acts like a nail puller and you end up smashing your face on the pole," Fulcher said.

Of the 12 B.C. Hydro crews in Victoria, only three have bucket trucks available to them. The rest have to use their cleats to get up poles, Fulcher said.

"I don’t know any lineman who hasn’t ‘kicked out,’ as we call it, or got a rip in their clothes," he said.

"It’s kind of a hazard we deal with."

B.C. Hydro is launching an educational campaign to raise awareness of the issue. It’s a pre-emptive move rather than one prompted by a rash of injuries, Olynyk said.

"They’re usually not climbing [poles] in perfect weather or daylight hours," he said.

"It could be at night in very miserable conditions and they may not see the material that’s sticking into the pole. We know it’s just small businesses that are using it as a medium to advertise, but those are utility poles and not public notice boards.

"There are lots of other venues for people to advertise."

B.C. Hydro is urging people to remove signs they’ve put on utility poles before the signs are removed for them and they’re sent a bill for the services.

"If we see repeat offenders or people continually ignoring our request for them to pull down their signs, we will . . . send the offender a bill."

Such a bill could amount to a couple of hundred dollars, he said.