Attaching signs and other advertising material to power poles may seem like free advertising, but the risks could be costly, warns energy distributor Essential Energy.

Operations Manager Coastal, Chris Maccoll, said “Anyone attempting to attach signs such as advertising material or other items to power poles is putting themselves at risk of serious injury or death as a result of potential exposure to electrical current.”

“It’s just not worth the risk.”

Chris said that attachments to power poles can also risk public safety and network reliability by causing damage to the pole or covering critical safety signage like pole identification numbers and defect notices.

“Not only are these illegal attachments dangerous to whoever’s putting them up, they’re an ongoing danger too. Illegal signage could also become a danger to the owners’ wallets, as Essential Energy has the right to bill for the cost of safe removal from its network,” Chris said.

“When an unplanned outage occurs,  if there’s illegal pole attachments in place they need to be removed by Essential Energy’s crews before they can begin restoring power, which means a longer outage for everyone.”

“If community members spot any illegal signs or advertising material attached to our power poles, we’d like to remind them to never attempt to remove it themselves, but to report it to Essential Energy so that our crews can remove it safely,” Chris said.

Under the NSW Electricity Supply Act 1995 and the NSW Graffiti Control Act 2008, it is illegal to attach signs and advertising material to power poles. Essential Energy crews are required to remove attachments, which takes them away from important electricity network maintenance.

Essential Energy’s number one priority is the safety of the public and its infrastructure. If members of the public notice an illegal sign or piece of advertising material attached to the network, they are asked to report it by calling 13 23 91 or visiting essentialenergy.com.au/powerpoleattachments