Bridging the gap between landowners and the utility contractor

One crucial skill that each utility worker has to learn is maintaining good relations with landowners who have utility assets on their property. Many of the assets that we inspect are located on private property. Utility providers and their contractors do have a right to perform system maintenance on electrical right of ways, but it is important that they do their part to be courteous and respectful of property owners; however, it is equally important that landowners do not act aggressively or hostile toward the workers trying to keep their power on.

When you are moving down the power lines, you encounter a lot of different people. Many times, these people do not know who you are or what you are doing on their property. As you can imagine, our presence alone may raise the eyebrows of some landowners. Especially since many times poles or other assets may be located close to the house or possibly in a back yard. We train our employees to knock on doors and let the landowners know who we are contracting for and what we are doing. Most of the time, these interactions are pleasant and we are able to complete our inspections without a problem. However, there are times where we are met with extreme aggression, threats, or in some instances we have even been met with violent behavior.

I think that both parties in the situation above have a responsibility to treat each other with courtesy and respect. I understand that in today’s day and age, landowners cannot be too careful and that you can not blindly trust everyone who may enter your property. I think it should also be understood that most utility workers are just trying to do their job and make sure that the utility infrastructure is in good shape. So how can both parties work together to improve relations?

At Lee Inspection, we try to accomplish this through the following:

Communication – We try our best to communicate clearly and effectively with the landowners. A lot of the time, this means knocking on doors when we need to inspect something close to or behind a home. It may be as simple as saying, “Hi, we are contracted by *insert utility* to inspect the power poles.” We may also ask the best way to access certain assets or if we can drive our vehicles on the property. A lot of times, taking just a few minutes to do this can make a huge difference with the temperament of the landowner.

Being Highly Visible – We never try to sneak up on anyone. Our employees are required to wear high visibility colors with our company logo on them. All of our vehicles are equipped with flashing safety lights and company logos marked with “utility inspection”. We carry company ID badges, and try to approach homes from the road when possible. We want the landowner to know that we are there as soon as possible.

Respecting customer property – We make our best efforts to leave each property as we find it. This includes securing gates as they were found, taking special care to not leave ruts and to minimize damage to landscaping or other property. We also try to pay close attention to posted signs, beware of dog signs etc.

Following landowner request – At the end of the day, if the landowner does not want us on the property, we will leave, no questions asked. We never argue with landowners and try to remain calm and courteous at all times.

What can landowners do to help?

Pay close attention to announcements from your utility provider – A lot of times, a utility will put out a notice to its customers that there will be utility work going on in their area. This may come in the form of a letter, an automated call, or social media posts. Be sure to pay close attention to these types of messages, as what they are telling you may be important.

Let your utility provider know if special arrangements need to be made to access your property If you wish to be notified before utility workers access your property or if other special arrangements need to be made, be sure to let your utility provider know this! Many utilities will note cases like this or even put it on to their map. Utilities are not required to give you advance notice before entering your property, and sometimes it is not possible, but many utilities will make note of these instances or even put them on their map.

Make sure to have signs posted on your property if you have an aggressive dog or other hazardous situation – with most utilities serving tens of thousands of customers or more, there is no way for them to keep track of the exact details of every property. Make sure you have “beware of dog” signs posted if you have a dog that you think may bite a utility worker.

Never act aggressively toward utility workers - Most utility workers are just trying to do their job and go home at the end of the day. If they are on your property, there is usually a good reason for it. When utility workers are immediately met with aggression, it can make it difficult for us to do our job effectively and keep your power on. It is unnecessary to act aggressively or to make threats of violence toward a utility worker. If you do not want them on your property, simply say so. Also weapons should never be pointed at a utility worker! Doing this may not only get your power shut off, but it may also be illegal.

I believe that utility providers and contractors can work together with landowners to ensure safe and pleasant interactions with each other! Doing so helps make sure that both customer satisfaction and public safety are achieved today and for years to come!