Outage Center Safety Tips

OHIO811: Call Before You Dig

Buried electric, phone, cable, water or other facilities can be extremely dangerous if damaged, and they are costly to repair. Before you dig in the yard call Ohio Utilities Protection Service (OUPS). OUPS will notify all utility companies to locate facilities. By law, OUPS requires 48-hours notice.

Call OUPS any time at 800.362.2764 or 811, or visit www.oups.org

Vehicle & Power Line Safety

Meter Tampering

Anyone cutting a meter seal or removing a meter is tampering. Attempting to divert current from registering through a meter or making it run backward are examples of energy theft. These examples of tampering are both illegal and extremely dangerous.

No one is permitted to break a meter seal or remove a Pioneer meter other than a qualified employee of the Cooperative. This includes contractors and electricians needing to work on a member’s electrical system. The member or his electrician should contact Pioneer at least 48 working hours before the meter needs to be removed to schedule the disconnection. In the event of an emergency disconnect, we have crews on call.

Pad-mounted Transformers

Padmount transformers are those large, green, locked steel boxes that often sit between homes on a concrete pad.

In order to maintain quality service and restore power during an outage in the safest and quickest manner, Pioneer must have access to padmount transformers and secondary pedestals. Bushes, decorative grass, rocks and flowers planted in the area of these electrical structures hinder our ability to work inside them safely.

We have seen an increase in the use of such beautification efforts in recent years. While we can appreciate their attractiveness, they truly impede our ability to serve our members well.

If there are plantings or other items around Pioneer’s electrical structures on your property, they should be removed immediately. If Pioneer accesses our equipment and damages any such beautification items, they will not be replaced.