Public safety is the key issue that drives EnergyNetwork’s community programme.  We recognise that World Class Health and Safety should not be restricted to the confines of our workplace. Due to the very nature of our business we must be responsible for managing public safety.

Formerly “Be Safe with ScottishPower”, this is a pioneering safety education programme teaching primary school children aged four to eleven years the potential dangers of electricity in the home and outdoors environment.  The programme is taught by qualified school teachers and is linked in with the school curriculum in our operating areas across Scotland, England and Wales.  In 2007, 339 teaching days were utilised, reaching 55,260 pupils from more than 300 schools.

A PowerWise resource pack, full of lesson plans, activities and all the resources needed for primary schools to conduct their own electricity safety lesson are provided free of charge to schools which have received the classroom education programme and on request via the website.  In 2007, 379 resource packs were issued, 69 of these as direct telephone requests or via the PowerWise website.

The PowerWise website, at www.powerwise.org.uk is packed with lesson plans, interactive games and electricity information that both teachers and parents can use. In July the website was extended and now caters for secondary school children, as well as primary school children.  There were over 38,000 hits to the website in 2007.

Support is given to three innovative, dedicated safety education centres operated by local public authorities within ScottishPower’s network areas.  Centres are based at Priesthill in Glasgow; DangerPoint in North Wales; and a new centre called The Risk Factory in Edinburgh, which opened in January 2007.  Designed to educate and raise awareness of accidents, injury prevention and personal safety in a safe and controlled environment, these centres provide realistic settings, specifically designed for children and young people, as a background for safety education through hands on experiences in the home, on the roads, at the farm or in the country, and on building sites. 

During 2007,

• 6,998 children visited DangerPoint
• 4,599 visited The Risk Factory 
• 3,151 visited Priesthill before its closure in June.

It is proposed that a new centre will open in Glasgow in autumn 2008 and EnergyNetworks will provide both financial and material support for the new venture.

Crucial Crew is a national experiential learning event where children take part in a range of fast-paced scenarios designed to raise awareness of the dangers of electricity and other common hazards. 

In 2007, EnergyNetworks presented key safety messages to more than 10,000 children at eight Crucial Crew events across the UK. One of the highlights in 2007, was the ‘Safe in the Park’ learning event, which reached 1,226 primary pupils from 24 East Renfrewshire schools and provided information about the dangers of electricity, as well as transport, water, alcohol and drugs.

EnergyNetworks fought off fierce competition to claim the National IOSH Zurich Municipal Supreme Safety Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to public sector health and safety in September 2007.

In October 2007, the DuPont International Safety Awards recognised PowerWise as the one of the most significant projects in safety and awarded EnergyNetworks winners in the Innovative Approach category.

As well as schools, EnergyNetworks provides electrical safety information and educational events to the public, including high-risk industrial sectors, such as farming, agriculture and leisure; and contractor associations and trade bodies.

In 2006/07 EnergyNetworks joined the Health and Safety Executive's Agricultural Industry Advisory Group to raise the awareness of electricity safety issues in this sector. Our team of public safety specialists have published guidance and feature articles in a number of trade and industry journals such as those issued by the Institution of Occupational Health, and the National Farmers Union. 

We recognise that electricity can present a potential hazard to other industries and have sent targeted mailshots/booklets to 509 trade groups and associations including local authority planners, agricultural groups, universities, boating and yachting marinas, leisure aircraft users and balloonists.

For the first time in 2007, to increase the mediums used to deliver the safety messages, EnergyNetworks staff also sent out 308 ‘e-shots’ ,by email, to key target groups, to provide information and link in with the safety section of its website.

Our staff visited 79 recreational sites in our home territories area, such as fisheries, camp sites and marinas, where a potential risk had been identified from overhead lines and/or ScottishPower equipment, and carried out discussions and dissemination of safety literature.

The emergency services play a key role in responding to incidents which may occur on our sites, and we have built close working relationships with each of the response services delivering bespoke training events and distributing informative bulletins to ensure that firefighters, paramedics, and police officers are aware of potential dangers and have the knowledge essential to stay safe.

SP Manweb has forged a partnership agreement with St Helens Council, local police and other agencies, to reduce incidents of graffiti, the cause of many calls from customers, at our 700 sub stations in the local authority area. Graffiti, fly-tipping and general anti-social behaviours at or near sub stations are issues of concern, particularly in respect of public safety. SP Manweb is paying for cleaning materials and anti-graffiti paints while St Helens is managing offenders to deal with graffiti through method statements approved by ScottishPower. To date, graffiti at 60 sub stations has been addressed with no repeat attacks.

We hope the anti-graffiti partnership, started in July, will have lasting positive effects on our sub station stock, reinforce community benefits and reduce customer complaints about graffiti. Meanwhile, the initiative is interesting other local authorities in SP Manweb’s area.

Longannet Power Station and four of its key contractors continued its sponsorship of a vehicle used by Community Police in West Fife. The venture has been highly praised by Fife Constabulary and enables Community Police officers to instigate campaigns aims at promoting public safety and security. In November 2007, the partnership announced it would continue its sponsorship for a further three years.

Energy Retail participated in the ‘Building Safer Communities Conference’ in Glasgow organised by Strathclyde Police in July 2007. The seminar was aimed at volunteers and organisations who care for vulnerable people and staff from Energy Retail, the only external company at the event, delivered a presentation on the steps taken to ensure our 900 field workers or representatives act with honesty and integrity.  For more information, see the case study on our website.