Have you ever seen hydro workers in your community checking under the metal disks near traffic signals for faulty wiring? Unless these metal plates have new non-conductive rubber seals, they could be an electrocution hazard if a charge is conducted through puddles of water. The plates may be "hidden" by soggy leaves, or slush on wet winter days. If you're not sure if these plates pose a hazard in yoru community, avoid stepping on them, or in wet areas surrounding these plates. Last Thursday in Toronto, five students aged 10 and 11 were "zapped" downtown while returning to school from a field trip. Although none were permanently injured, two Toronto dogs were electrocuted in recent months--and once, in New York, a dog-owner was electrocuted when a current was conducted through her two dogs and to her via the leash.According to the Toronto Star, today, six hundred hydro workers are fanning out over the city to "open the 15,000 handwells covered by the plates, inspect them for short circuits, repair any faulty wiring and put it into a rubber covering to be sealed. " All of the plates in Toronto's downtown area should be converted to non-conductive plates by the end of February, then efforts will be expanded to the greater Toronto area. See the Toronto Star article and a photo of the metal plates, here.
Again--if you're not sure whether or not the plates on the slushy sidewalks in your community will conduct electricity, avoid stepping on them! And you might contact your local hydro's customer service department, to ask.
