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In the 2nd "B" grade of gymnasium #3 in the city of Belgorod there was a lesson on the prevention of children’s electric injuries. Such lessons on electrical safety before summer holidays will be conducted in schools of the region. The initiators of this educational work are the Department of Education, Culture and Youth Affairs of the region, IDGC of Centre – Belgorodenergo division and Belgorod Institute of Training and Professional Retraining.
According to Head of Office of Physical Education and Technology of the Institute, Albert Nikiforov, the main purpose of these classes - improving the quality of the knowledge of schoolchildren on the theme “electrical safety” and the formation of their culture for safe handling electrical appliances, which is especially important before the summer holidays, when children have plenty of time for games and walks.
Classes are held in all schools from 21 to May 25 by teachers of technology, physics, and elementary school teachers and teachers of life safety. Power engineers come to help teachers in all districts of the region, who tell about the consequences of careless use of electricity. For the kids from school # 3 of the city of Belgorod the lesson was taught by Irina Nedosekova, and Engineer of Operation Group from Belgorod Electrical Networks Alexey Poda showed the schoolchildren a stock of protective equipment, without which one cannot work in electrical systems, and spoke about the must rules of behavior near power facilities. "It's important to remember that touching sagging and broken wires is deadly. They cannot be approached closer than 10 meters. If you see a fallen wire, you need to make your legs together and goose-step or jump away to a safe distance, and then immediately tell an adult. In no case one cannot come close, and, moreover, to penetrate into transformer substations, climb power line poles. Remember - this is very dangerous!" - he stressed.
The children also learned about why one cannot throw anything on wires or play near power lines with a kite, what would happen if one entered an electric room, travelled on rooftops and in basements of houses where there was wiring and communication. The children were once again reminded of why it is very dangerous to insert various objects into socket outlets, touch bare wires, pull the plug with the cord out, and touch electrical appliances plugged in. Many of them were happy to share with classmates their acquired knowledge about the rules of safe electricity handling.
School supervisors discussed forms and methods of such lessons and current issues of electrical safety education for children with power engineers at the seminar, which took place on the eve at Belgorod Institute of Training and Professional Retraining. To help teachers, specialists of the Institute formed a collection of the best lessons, the authors of which were winners and prize winners of the regional contest for the best lesson on electrical safety, which has been held since 2010 by Belgorodenergo together with the Department of Education, Culture and Youth Affairs of the Belgorod region. The teacher edition includes printing and video media that will be replicated in schools of the region, and themed colouring books will be useful to children and they will enjoy them.
To avoid cases of electric injuries all power facilities of IDGC of Centre – Belgorodenergo division are equipped with the strictest security systems. Substations are protected with a mesh fence, equipped with a perimeter alarm system and surveillance cameras to prevent unauthorized entry into their territories of individuals. In the regional center all transformer substations have an alarm system installed that detects opening of a door. Also, at power facilities signs warning of the danger are placed, if a power line is broken then special equipment cuts off power in a matter of seconds.