August marks Back-to-School Safety Month, a time when families prepare for a new school year by reviewing routines, packing backpacks, and talking about ways to stay safe. While many of those conversations focus on school buses, crosswalks, and traffic safety, it’s also a great opportunity to remind children how to stay safe around electrical equipment as they enjoy the final weeks of summer.

Whether they’re riding bikes through the neighborhood, exploring wooded areas, helping with farm chores, or playing outside after school, children in our rural communities are often surrounded by utility equipment. As late summer vegetation continues to grow, electrical equipment that is normally easy to spot can become partially hidden by tall grass, weeds, or brush.

Parents should remind children to stay away from pad-mounted transformers — the large green boxes commonly found in yards and along roadways. These transformers are designed to operate safely, but they should never be climbed on, used as hiding places, or blocked by landscaping. Keeping a clear space around transformers helps ensure crews can safely access them when needed.

Another often-overlooked component of the electrical system is the guy wire that runs from a utility pole to the ground. These support wires help stabilize poles and should never be climbed on, swung from, or tampered with. Families who spend time on farms or wooded property should also remain aware of overhead power lines when climbing trees, operating ATVs or tractors, or moving tall equipment.

Back-to-School Safety Month is the perfect reminder that safety starts with awareness. By teaching children to recognize electrical equipment and respect its role in delivering reliable power, we can all help create a safer community.