JPS issues warning to third parties using its poles
Company says action to be taken for breaches in push to boost safety
Published:Thursday | April 20, 2023 | 12:52 AMChristopher Serju/Senior Gleaner Writer
The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has warned licensed third-party contractors who use its 300,000-pole islandwide distribution network to deliver cable and telecommunications signals that as it ramps up safety and accountability standards, it be will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to breaches of its network usage.
This warning came during the inaugural National Utility Pole Line Safety Conference, which was held at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Tuesday under the theme ‘Climbing Towards Collaboration and Safety’.
Errington Case, manager of grid interconnection at the JPS, admitted that while the company has service contracts with some providers, some entities were guilty of freeloading. He vowed to put a stop to this illegal practice, which has been causing defects in the operational integrity of the network and posing significant risks to public safely.
The Electricity Act of 2015 stipulates that the JPS must enter into a written contract with any company wishing to use its islandwide distribution network to deliver services.
“We have to address this problem together. It can’t be JPS working over here and the operators are working over there,” Case insisted.
He cited a case in which the JPS determined that one of its utility poles near to a school needs to be taken out of service. It placed a replacement pole beside it and transferred the wires, which carry electricity. However, it could not take down the old pole as it could not contact the other companies.
“We were busy trying to get all the other persons who had attachments on that pole to come and remove them. We couldn’t get to them ... and there was a failure and the pole fell on to the fence at the school,” he disclosed, adding that while no one was injured, the outcome could have been very different.
Similar situations have resulted in a number of twin-pole instances as the defective poles remain standing beside their replacements because the JPS could not reach all parties to coordinate the transfer of assets from the defective pole.
“We are getting to the stage where it’s gonna be zero tolerance on the network in terms of what we require. We have to be able to identify the users. It has always been in the contract, and we will be enforcing it now, where we will be requiring every person who uses the pole to have a label on their attachment at every pole,” he said. “If we go out there and there is not a label on an attachment on a pole, we are going to take down that attachment.”
He further noted that liabilities would now be on the companies and those in breach could face lawsuits.
“It cannot be just business as usual,” said the grid inter-connection manager.
Meanwhile, JPS Chief Operating Officer Gary Barrow said the company was using the conference to press the reset button to intensify the focus and appreciation for safety as it pertains to the utility business.
“In the workplace, it is that one critical moment where that mistake can cost you your life. By promoting safety measures, we can create a safer environment for ourselves and those around us,” he said. “Safety measures are not just a matter of following rules and regulations, but also about adopting a safety culture as a way of life.
“Despite our policy of applying rules and procedures to promote the accident-free performance of duties, we have had accidents recently that should really not have happened – fatalities and injuries that could have been avoided. Just imagine the impact to families and loved ones when serious accidents occur,” he added. “It was against this backdrop that this conference was conceptualised to bring awareness to the importance of safety and to ensure that every person goes home to their family unharmed from a hard day’s work.”