{"id":70511,"date":"2014-06-11T12:36:58","date_gmt":"2014-06-11T02:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=70511"},"modified":"2020-08-28T11:37:14","modified_gmt":"2020-08-28T01:37:14","slug":"ergon-energy-urges-dog-owners-to-be-responsible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/06\/11\/ergon-energy-urges-dog-owners-to-be-responsible\/","title":{"rendered":"Ergon Energy Urges Dog
Owners To Be Responsible"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
An Ergon Energy employee suffered this dog bite while trying to read a meter (Photo: Ergon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 11, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every week an Ergon Energy meter reader is injured somewhere in Queensland by a dog attack.<\/p>\n

This frightening statistic has prompted the energy retailer to again appeal to its customers to \u00a0restrain their dogs.<\/p>\n

There have been 152 attacks or near misses on Ergon meter readers during the past 12 months; 58 injuries have been sustained from these incidents … an average of more than one injury every week.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, a woman meter reader was hospitalised in Charters Towers after being attacked by a dog.<\/p>\n

“This young lady was in fact set upon by a dog from a neighbouring property, resulting in a serious laceration and hospital treatment,” Ergon manager regional services Geoff Bowes said.<\/p>\n

“The incident highlighted that the community must take responsibility for their animals and ensure that workers going about their normal duties go home safe and uninjured.”<\/p>\n

Mr Bowes said meter readers were advised not to enter a property with a dog on the premises unless they were able to confirm that it was safe to do so.<\/p>\n

“This may include checking that the dog is securely restrained or located in a separate area away from the meter box,” he said.<\/p>\n

“This doesn’t mean your dog is dangerous but we cannot take risks when it comes to safety.”<\/p>\n

By law, Ergon Energy customers have a responsibility to allow safe and clear access to read electricity meters, undertake connection or metering work or perform other services related to the supply of electricity.<\/p>\n

Ergon has asked its customers to observe the following guidelines:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Keep your dogs restrained or located away from the meter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Use a lock authorised by Ergon Energy to secure your meter box, gates or other property access point<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • Keep the meter clear of vegetation, insects, vehicles and other equipment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        • Relocate your meter box if it becomes inaccessible due to the addition of new fences or building alterations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
          • Check your most recent electricity bill for the approximate date of your next meter read<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              \n
            • Remember that Ergon may arrange for disconnection where a customer fails to provide access<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              “If you’ve got an access issue, we can help you identify options suitable for your premises and ensure access to your electricity meters in the future,” Mr Bowes said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Every week an Ergon Energy meter reader is injured somewhere in Queensland by a dog attack.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":70512,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,3],"tags":[32],"yoast_head":"\nErgon Energy Urges Dog Owners To Be Responsible - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/06\/11\/ergon-energy-urges-dog-owners-to-be-responsible\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ergon Energy Urges Dog Owners To Be Responsible - southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every week an Ergon Energy meter reader is injured somewhere in Queensland by a dog attack.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/06\/11\/ergon-energy-urges-dog-owners-to-be-responsible\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-06-11T02:36:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-08-28T01:37:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/dogbite.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"339\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anne Miller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Anne Miller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/06\/11\/ergon-energy-urges-dog-owners-to-be-responsible\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/06\/11\/ergon-energy-urges-dog-owners-to-be-responsible\/\",\"name\":\"Ergon Energy Urges Dog Owners To Be Responsible - 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