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Would you know what to do if you came across a power line in the middle of the road, needed to use a generator during a power outage or suspected a natural gas leak in your home or yard?

While any time is an ideal one to become educated on safety, June is National Safety Month. This year’s theme is “Safety: It takes all of us.” In honor of that theme, Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company encourage customers to reacquaint themselves with electric and natural gas safety tips to ensure each of us is informed and knows how to properly protect ourselves and our families.
 

Electric safety

Customers experiencing a power outage should keep the following safety tips in mind:

• Call LG&E and KU at 502-589-1444 (toll-free 800-331-7370 for LG&E, toll-free 800-981-0600 for KU) to report outages and downed power lines.
• Always assume any downed wire is an energized power line and call us immediately.
• Stay away from all fallen wires and anything that may be in contact with them.
• When using portable generators, always follow the manufacturer's instructions and operate the generator in a well-ventilated area.
• Never use camp stoves and charcoal grills indoors; they can produce deadly fumes.

Refer to the company website to learn what items to gather and store in your outage kit, as well as other electric safety tips.

Natural gas safety

You can use your senses to spot a natural gas leak:

• You may HEAR a blowing or hissing sound.
• You may SEE dust blowing from a hole in the ground, continuous bubbling in one spot in wet or flooded areas, dead vegetation, abnormally dry or hardened soil or fire apparently coming from the ground or burning above the ground.
• You may SMELL a gaseous or hydrocarbon odor (similar to sulfur or rotten eggs).

If you suspect a gas leak, leave the area of the leak immediately. Do not use the phone, switch a light on or off, or strike a match. Once in a location away from the suspected leak, with no natural gas odor present, call your natural gas provider. Do not report a gas leak by e-mail.

Visit the company website to learn more about natural gas safety.

Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve a total of 1.2 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 321,000 natural gas and 397,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 543,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com.