With the arrival of harvest time, Indiana’s farmers are shifting into high gear as they move into their fields to bring in their crops. All that increased activity puts farmers and farm workers at greater risk, warns Jon Elkins, vice president of safety, training and compliance at Indiana Electric Cooperatives. “Combines and grain augers are… Continue reading.

Trees and power lines often coexist without problems. However, there are precautions to take when planting a tree. Not only do dangers lurk for the person planting the tree, nearby power lines and trees can be harmed as well. Trees growing too close to electrical lines are the primary cause of momentary short circuits and… Continue reading.

Ground-mounted transformers may seem like something else kids can play on in the yard, but they are necessary infrastructure for buried power lines and shouldn’t be played on or tampered with. In almost every suburban neighborhood one can find one of those green boxes that are usually situated near the street between every other house…. Continue reading.

A lot of people won’t plug in their new TV or toaster without reading the instruction book at least once. But many will move into a new home without understanding the electrical system that makes everything work. Would you know how to trip the main circuit if someone was being shocked at an outlet somewhere? … Continue reading.

If you drive the same route to work every day, odds are you don’t give the road itself a lot of thought. It’s always there; until it’s not. If you suddenly come upon a big orange “road closed” sign with barricades, what do you do? You stop, think about an alternative route, and take it…. Continue reading.

Planting season is here for many of the state’s roughly 94,000 farmers. While you prepare to plant the crops that help feed the world, Indiana’s electric cooperatives remind you to keep safety in mind — especially when working around electricity. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 62 farm workers… Continue reading.

Spring is a fickle season that brings nature’s renewal of buds and blooms to the trees and fields and also brings dark, powerful rolling storms that can wreak havoc. From 2016 through 2020, the National Weather Service recorded 28 deaths, 133 injuries and over $64 million in property and crop damage from weather events in… Continue reading.

On a late wintry Saturday afternoon, Nick and Blake decided to take Nick’s car to a movie — despite falling snow and parental advice to stay home. Moments later, where the county road zigged and zagged a mile past their neighborhood, Nick’s car did neither. It slid straight off and bumped into an electric cooperative… Continue reading.

During the pandemic, most office environments either closed and sent workers home to work remotely when and where feasible or created rotating work schedules. These changes were done to help mitigate the spread of the virus and keep workers safe.  But setting up a temporary or full-time office at home can create a new kind… Continue reading.

If your white Christmas goes dark from an electrical blackout, an electric generator can be a great resource for homeowners, especially if the storm and damage is severe and the outage is prolonged. But small portable generators pose risks homeowners need to guard against: carbon monoxide poisoning, electrocution or electric shock, and fire. Risk #1:… Continue reading.

Hunting season brings outdoorsmen of all skill levels and experience into rural Indiana, often to unfamiliar areas. While most hunters follow safe hunting practices, Indiana’s electric cooperatives remind all those afield to be mindful of their surroundings and to be aware of  electric power lines and equipment in the air and electrical equipment on the… Continue reading.

When Ralphie Parker’s “old man” attempts to plug his “major award” — the infamous plastic leg lamp — into an overloaded wall outlet in the classic movie “A Christmas Story,” there first came a “snap of a few sparks” and the “whiff of ozone” before the lamp blazed forth in the living room front window…. Continue reading.