Our Safety Depends on You!

ALAMEDA, Calif., October 1, 2005 — Alameda Power & Telecom crews will respond at any time of day or night and in all kinds of weather to keep your lights on. They must use great care, as they work with a potentially hazardous commodity, electricity. We need your cooperation in order to provide for their safety.

Please do not post notices on utility poles!

Often, your Alameda P&T line crews must climb these poles in the course of their work. To ensure their safety, they use a "Lineman's gaff" which bites the pole and provides a foothold on their way to the top.

• Nails, staples, and the like do not allow the gaff to get a firm grip on the pole, and falls have resulted.
• Metal fasteners also are likely to snag workers' clothing and cause cuts and scrapes.
• When postings are taped to poles, they still can hide hardware.
• You may not realize it, but fasteners allow moisture and insects to penetrate the protective outer layers of the pole, shortening the "life" of the pole.
• Paper signs and notices on a pole are unsightly. They will come loose eventually and become litter.

For the above reasons, postings on utility poles are against the law. City of Alameda Ordinance No. 2397, New Series, prohibits anyone, "". . . to write, stamp, affix, mark or attach any inscription, name, picture, number, or other thing upon any wall, tower, or other part of any building owned or controlled by the City of Alameda, or upon any fence surrounding or any approach to such building or upon any electrolier, pole, mast or part thereof, including crossbars, supports and guywires, used for the transmission of electricity . . ."

On a statewide level, State General Order No. 95 proscribed by the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California does not permit attachment of equipment or signage "foreign to the purposes of electric line construction."

The party responsible for placing the sign may be subject to citation. Responsibility is determined easily since nearly all signs include a name, address, or telephone number. The person responding to your sign could be a law enforcement officer!

There are more effective means of advertising than postings on utility poles. Lawns, windows, and storefronts are safe locations for signs, and after your garage sale is held or your lost dog is found, these signs can be promptly removed. They also will receive much more notice than if placed on utility poles.

Thank you for helping ensure our safety!