We can stop and smell the roses. We can’t smell electricity. It can certainly stop us in our tracks. It is a silent form of energy that deserves respect. Electricity can hurt you much more than any thorn on a rose.

Members repeatedly put themselves in danger by not stopping to treat electricity with the respect it deserves. We haven’t had any members get hurt … yet. It isn’t for lack of trying, however. Several close calls over the past several months have given me serious cause for concern. Here are a few:

First, a member took a meter base off a home to get it out of the way for some siding replacement. They did not ask us to shut off the power at the transformer. They wrestled it to the ground alive with an energy that could hurt them.

Second, members cut the meter seal and got inside the meter box because they didn’t want to wait for an inspection, their cooperative, or an electrician.

Third, a member was found on a job using a handsaw on an underground wire that he thought was a water line. A black underground wire can look like a black water pipe when covered in dirt and muck. A MISS DIG call would have told them where the electric wire was located.

Why wasn’t anyone hurt? The only answer I have is just dumb luck. In every case, a member was inches away from injury or death. In every case, proper procedures and communication with Cherryland were not done.

Speed kills. In my industry, numerous close calls are clear signs leading up to a severe accident. I am writing today to implore everyone to use the MISS DIG system, just a quick 8-1-1 call. I am also asking everyone to work with us to schedule your needs. We are in the business of serving you and keeping you safe. We can’t do that if you don’t give us a chance.

Yes, you may not get the schedule you desire. We have dozens of requests per day to deal with. Look out farther than tomorrow and allow us to help. A delay in a project is far better than a stay in the hospital or worse.

Stop and smell the roses is an old cliche about slowing down and enjoying life. You can also  enjoy life—a long life—if you slow down and give electricity the respect it deserves. Take a minute to think about all the good in your life. Then, ask yourself if working with your cooperative and the MISS DIG system is worth it.

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