SA Power Networks campaign targets farmers to be more vigilant

On average there are more than 20 incidents on farms each year where powerlines are struck by vehicles.

There also are countless near misses and incidents where work is done far too close to powerlines.

The new campaign focuses on the issue of 'inattentional blindness' a psychologically recognised behaviour where people gradually don't notice things they see every day.

SAPN corporate affairs head Paul Roberts said people have information overload which taught the brain to reduce the input, to focus on what was thought to be the most important at the time.

"We are making thousands of decisions basically on auto pilot, and we stop noticing things that actually could kill us," he said.

"So our campaign is about getting people engaged in actively thinking about the risk from Stobie poles which can go un-noticed on farms - with potentially disastrous consequences.

"The campaign has the simple focus on 'what you don't notice can kill you'.

"This isn't about blaming farmers - it is about recognising this is how we are as humans."

He said they wanted to break the cycle and ensure farmers, their families and all their contractors were mindful and paying full attention while working on their properties.

"Television, radio, press and digital advertising would take the safety message to all parts of regional SA as the sowing season commences, with a specific focus on broadacre farming regions where most vehicle related incidents occur," he said.

"SA Power Networks is also launching its first advertising campaign tackling issues around use of high vehicles such as tipper trucks around powerlines."

But some farmers believe power poles could be made more visible to prevent accidents after a Woodside farmer had an employee crash into one in 2022.

Garry Paine said his employee was watching him on the bailer instead of where he was going and hit the base of a power pole which cost their insurance company $25,000.

"In a paddock, a bit of colour on them wouldn't hurt, down at vehicle level," he said.

"But when power poles or lines do come down, stay away from them and don't become a target for a second accident.

"Especially when you have windy weather, the power lines are set up so they don't clash with each other so they don't earth out and start fires but we have had a few fires start like that.

"In a violent wind, things can get carried so much further - the biggest issue is contractors with excavators and big equipment which are vulnerable to hitting powerlines."

Plant A Seed For Safety founder Alex Thomas said the campaign adopted a no-blame approach to encourage better awareness, but it was important to remember both SA Power Networks and farming businesses have a shared duty of care to manage the risk - job planning and awareness alone was not enough.

"There's no substitute for physically reducing the potential for exposure to a powerline, yet powerlines aren't owned by farmers," she said.

"One of the most effective ways to manage the risk is to bury powerlines altogether, (but) this is cost prohibitive.

"Orange visibility markers are also expensive and their effectiveness questionable.

"At a local level, the relationship between SA Power Networks and farmers needs to be strengthened to combat issues such as ageing infrastructure, when, how and who to get help from regarding saggy powerlines, and a lack of clarity regarding clearance distances."