Neighborhood Blackout Caused By Someone Stapling Poster To Pole

A blackout in Queensland, Australia has sparked (ha) controversy and warning for people to be safer around power poles after an incident that could've turned fatal for one unknowing individual.

Nearly 1000 customers experienced an unexpected blackout in the Holland Park East area of the southern part of Brisbane after an 11,000-volt cable attached to a power pole sustained some damage.

Crews responding to the scene to fix the outage issue found a scorched advertising sign on the pole, and a staple gun laying nearby at the scene, leading them to believe the damage came from someone attempting to put up the sign.

The move was "mind-blowing" according to the power company's manager, Kevin Lavender who said people attaching signs to power poles were "risking their life."

“We have no idea what state the person who tried to post the sign was in because they fled the scene, but their actions could have been fatal or at least led to severe burns,” he said. “We have network protection in place for the community’s safety, but that does not mean it’s OK to interfere with electrical assets.”

In Australia, attaching signs to power poles is illegal, and can bring you a fine of around $6,000.

Energex contracts co-coordinator Arturo Erazo condemned the action of stapling sings to the poles.

“What the people who put up these signs don’t appreciate is that our crews often have to climb these poles at night and during severe weather in pouring rain with low visibility,” he said. “The nails, screws and the signs themselves can easily rip into our crews’ protective clothing and skin, putting them in a very dangerous situation.”

“No one deserves to go to work where sharp objects are hidden within their workspace – this is about keeping our staff safe from harm and deterring people from this dangerous practice,” he said.

Read more at The Australian

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