The warning was repeated elsewhere in last week’s edition of The News Observer, repeated for at least the fourth time.
Now is a good time to make sure your boat dock is safe from the hazard of electrical shock, or worse, electrocution.
The warning is repeated because it needs to be heard and heeded.
Last year on Blue Ridge Lake there was one tragedy and a second near tragedy - one death and one death narrowly avoided. Electricity was blamed in both.
Many, if not almost all, docks on the lake have electricity run to them in some form. This provides the ingredients for a recipe for disaster – electricity and water do not mix.
All it takes is for a single frayed or broken wire to come in contact with water or a piece of metal on a dock and the recipe is complete.
Docks move in the water, so wiring is moving also, This can cause damage to the electric circuit, in turn posing a risk to anyone on or around the dock.
Listen to the warning. Cherk all the wiring and the outlets. Go ahead and install the latest Ground Fault Circuit Interupter 9GFCI) outlets. This can be some of your best protection.
Do it now before the summer fun begins and you put it off.
We don’t want to report another tragedy on Blue Ridge Lake this year, especially one that can be avoided.