Media Release

Electrons, powerlines and transformers of a different kind will be all the talk in classrooms across regional and rural NSW this week as students in 891 schools participating in Essential Energy’s 2019 Electricity Safety Week program learn about electricity and electricity safety.

Essential Energy’s Head of Health, Safety & Environment, Daniel Hill, said the annual program teaches students about electricity and how to stay safe around electricity, both in the home and when outdoors.

“With 96 per cent of the schools in Essential Energy’s vast footprint registered to participate, this is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness about potential electrical hazards in our local communities,” Daniel said.

“Students learn to stay away from overhead powerlines, how to use home electrical appliances safely, and what to do in an electrical emergency.”

Essential Energy supplies registered schools with a free resource kit featuring interactive activities, videos and prizes.

“The program reinforces our community message to teach students to stay at least eight metres away from fallen powerlines and not to touch any objects in contact with them,” Daniel said.

Once again, students are combining their creativity with their knowledge and creating safety-inspired artworks to potentially win donations for their P&C Association as part of Essential Energy’s ‘Be a Safety Star’ poster competition.

With three categories – Kindergarten-Year 2, Years 3-4 and Years 5-6, the poster competition provides the P&C Association from each category winner a $1,000 donation to spend on school safety improvements. For further details, visit essentialenergy.com.au/postercomp.

“Poster entries close on Friday, 27 September 2019 and the lucky winner could come from any part of the state, so don’t miss out on your school’s chance to win,” Daniel added.

For further information about Essential Energy’s electricity safety teaching resources, visit: essentialenergy.com.au/education.

Media contact: Melanie Pope, Media, PR and Brand Manager
t: 0418 160 031
e: melanie.pope@essentialenergy.com.au

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FACT FILE:

• Essential Energy builds, operates and maintains one of Australia’s largest electricity distribution networks, servicing regional, rural and remote NSW.
• Our footprint covers 95 percent of NSW, traversing 737,000 square kilometres of landmass with 183,612 km of powerline, 163,417 of those in designated bushfire zones.
• The network services more than 855,000 customers with approximately 4.6 customers to each kilometre of powerline, which is almost one-tenth the customer density compared with our counterparts in NSW.
• Essential Energy’s footprint also includes 1.38 million power poles, equating to 1.6 power poles per customer.