Toronto Hydro wins safety award from the Electrical Safety Authority

Utility recognized for demonstrating how to stay safe if powerlines land on your vehicle

TORONTO, Sept. 30, 2016 /CNW/ - Toronto Hydro was presented with an Ontario Electrical Safety Award yesterday at a ceremony hosted by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA).

The award came in the Powerline Safety category in recognition of a media event that demonstrated the safe way to react if powerlines land on your vehicle.

Educating our customers on how to be safe around electrical equipment is one of our top priorities. For the demonstration, we partnered with Toronto Fire Services to re-create a collision scene involving a car that hit a hydro pole. The demonstration included a smoking vehicle and a downed hydro pole with wires. It received positive media coverage and helped spread an important safety message.

The ESA awards are handed out each year to utilities across the province that have shown leadership and achievement in the promotion of electrical safety in Ontario.

QUICK FACTS

• The ESA is an administrative authority mandated by the Government of Ontario to enhance public electrical safety in the province. It is both a safety regulator and an advocate
• This is the second year in a row Toronto Hydro has won an ESA award
• Since 2010, there have been more than 1,200 cases of vehicles colliding with hydro poles. During that same time, there were 413 instances of vehicles coming into contact with our wires

For more info on what to do if powerlines come down on your vehicle, and other electrical safety tips visit torontohydro.com/safety.

QUOTES

"We want to thank the ESA for recognizing our efforts to promote electrical safety to our customers. Having live wires come down on your car is not a common occurrence, but knowing how to respond correctly can mean the difference between life and death. We also want to thank Toronto Fire Services for helping to host a very realistic demonstration, making the event a real success."
-    Tori Gass, Spokesperson, Toronto Hydro

ABOUT TORONTO HYDRO

Toronto Hydro owns and operates an electricity distribution system, which delivers electricity to approximately 758,000 customers located in the city of Toronto. It is the largest municipal electricity distribution company in Canada and distributes approximately 19% of the electricity consumed in the province of Ontario.

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SOURCE Toronto Hydro Corporation

Image with caption: "Toronto Hydro is presented with the Powerline Safety Award from the Electrical Safety Authority. From left: Marie France Lalonde, Minister of Government and Consumer Services, Brian Buchan, Director of Media, Communications and Municipal Stakeholder Relations, Toronto Hydro and Brian Bentz, Chair, Electrical Safety Authority. (CNW Group/Toronto Hydro Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160930_C5748_PHOTO_EN_785881.jpg

Image with caption: "Toronto Hydro Corporation (CNW Group/Toronto Hydro Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160930_C5748_PHOTO_EN_785898.jpg

Tori Gass, Communications and Public Relations, 416-903-4037, [email protected]; 24-hour media line: 416-903-6845, [email protected]