Safety is always top of mind for Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E).

May, in addition to being the peak of storm season in Oklahoma and Arkansas, is National Electrical Safety Month. In recognition, OG&E is offering tips and educational opportunities to customers and partner organizations with important safety reminders. While severe weather can result in potentially dangerous situations such as downed power lines, it is also important for members of the community to know how to stay safe around electricity in their day-to-day activities.

Sponsored by Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), National Education Safety Month was designated to raise awareness about ways to stay safe around electricity to reduce electrical incidents leading to fires, property loss, injuries and even fatalities.

“Because we manage and maintain electrical equipment daily, our teams are highly trained and are experts when it comes to being safe around electricity. We have a responsibility to convey essential electrical safety knowledge to our customers and community partners,” said Andrea Dennis, OG&E Vice President of Transmission & Distribution Operations. “Safety is more than a priority at OG&E, it’s a value.”

Electrical safety education aimed at helping families avoid hazardous situations is especially important to OG&E. Each year, OG&E shares with customers its safety guide with dozens of tips to maintain a safe household when it comes to electricity. General safety tips include:

• Never approach downed power lines and immediately notify OG&E by calling 800-522-6870.

• Keep a fire extinguisher in your home. The source of a fire is not always obvious and attempting to put out an electrical fire with water is hazardous.

• Teach children to recognize and respect “Danger – High Voltage” signs and to never play around or climb on substations, transformers, power poles or towers.

• Only operate generators outdoors and according to manufacturer instructions.

The company participates in several touch-a-truck events across the region every year – providing opportunities to share safety tips with thousands of families.

Through a partnership with utility safety education company Culver, OG&E also provides eSMARTkids curriculum to teachers to promote electrical public safety in classrooms. In 2021, more than 30,000 kindergarten through 8th grade students in Oklahoma and Arkansas participated in the eSMARTkids School Public Safety Engagement Program. Engaging and informative resources for students, teachers and parents are available on demand at oge.e-smartkids. com, and instructor tool kits are available each fall for classroom use.

Throughout the year, OG&E’s safety leadership staff provide important electrical safety training for local fire and police departments, media and other private companies.

“First responders are typically early on the scene of incidents involving electricity,” said Dennis. “It is critically important that anyone who could be near live power lines or damaged electrical equipment knows how to keep themselves safe, which is why we offer electrical safety training to organizations and companies the communities we serve.”

OG&E continues to consistently demonstrate its dedication to providing a safe workplace for employees and contractors, and a safe environment for its customers and community partners.