Consumers Energy Urges "Safety First" With Utility Poles

AVOID POSTING SIGNS DURING FALL SPORTS, GARAGE SALE SEASON

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Sep 16, 2013, 06:00 ET

JACKSON, Mich., Sept. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With the fall sports and garage sale season underway, Consumers Energy has a friendly reminder to keep its workers safe: Don't post signs on utility poles.

"We ask that people refrain from attaching signs to utility poles, both for their own safety as well as the safety of our electric line workers," said Michele Kirkland, vice president of energy operations for Consumers Energy. "We urge everyone to find a safe, legal way to advertise."

Nailing, stapling, tacking or pinning posters or fliers of any type on utility poles is not allowed and can be dangerous.

Kirkland noted that often people forget utility poles may contain electrical wires. There are cases when people have been seriously injured while attaching signs to utility poles.

In addition, during an electric outage, line workers often climb utility poles in order to restore electric service. Nails, staples and other items interfere with the ability of climbing spikes to grip the poles. If a line worker loses footing, the resulting fall could cause serious injury or even be fatal.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

For more information regarding Consumers Energy, visit us at: www.consumersenergy.com or join us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan

PHOTOS: View and download two photos of utility poles that have been cluttered with signs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/consumersenergy/sets/72157634342591265/

SOURCE Consumers Energy