Dec 18, 2018   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

Winter Brings Sidewalk Electrical Shock Hazards to Urban Animals - UTGIS Offers 5 Tips to Protect Them

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla., Dec. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The arrival of winter brings with it an increase in reported outdoor shocks and electrocutions to urban animals due to utility and municipality electrical wiring faults while walking on city sidewalks.

Years of news report data collected by Florida based Utility Testing and Geographic Information Systems LLC (UTGIS) show December, January and February to be the three months when animal outdoor electrical injuries are at their highest- not from the snow moisture itself, but the application of road salts, de-icers and antifreeze liquids. All of these chemicals make snow and slushy waters much more conductive to electricity.

"In the last several weeks, UTGIS has documented two horse shocks and one dog electrocution due to contact voltage. The last reported animal incident from winter 2017/2018 was a dog electrocuted in Boston, resulting in an investigation by the City Council," according to UTGIS President Mark Voigtsberger

UTGIS offers 5 tips to keep urban animals electrically safe this winter:

    1. Pay attention to electrical infrastructure items animals tend to avoid or
       react to- light poles, traffic signals, junction boxes, etc.  Avoidance
       does not automatically mean an electrical fault voltage is present on the
       object- only testing with a voltmeter can do that.
    2. Look for melted snow around the base of poles, manholes or junction
       boxes.  Not in itself a positive indication an electrical fault is
       present, but raises a warning flag especially if in conjunction with tip
       #1. Electrical current flowing on the pole causes it to heat up slightly,
       and may melt the snow around the base.
    3. Look for wires coming out of the ground, at the base of a light pole, or
       a traffic signal.  Many times these wires still have power on them.
    4. Encourage your pet to visit non electrical infrastructure components.
    5. Report all suspected electrical faults to 911.  Fault voltages can range
       anywhere from 1 volt to over 120 volts. For safety, all energized objects
       must be considered to be at their highest voltage level until competent
       testing proves otherwise.

"We also ask that suspected electrical faults be reported to UTGIS using our website or toll free number," said Voigtsberger. "The large number of electrical faults found in some cities would seem to indicate animal shocks- and human- may be significantly under reported. This is the first known attempt to collect actual data from the field on this subject."

Interestingly, previous UTGIS research shows shock and electrocution cases related to contact voltage for humans peaks in June, July and August. During winter months, humans typically wear waterproof or rubberized sole shoes which afford some level of electrical safety protection.

Contact:
Mark Voigtsberger, President
(888) 788-8447
www.utgis.com

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SOURCE UTGIS