SaskPower wants farmers to make safety on the farm a priority this spring. 

"It's easy to say," explains SaskPower spokesman, Jonathan Tremblay, "but it just takes a few minutes to know where the lines are and to know how high they are if they are overhead lines. And especially if you are buying new machinery, they get bigger all the time, be careful about the clearance you have."

He adds that in the busy seasons of seeding and harvest, farmers may put safety on the back burner.

"We especially see this when something happens with weather. For example, April was a bit colder, a bit rainier than usual so seeding is a bit later than usual. Farmers may be rushing here and there. We saw a lot more contact, over 50 in the last week alone."

"We see the same thing in harvest. If  chilling frost is coming on the weather forecast, people are rushing, working very long days and then safety goes by the wayside. But it has to be the number one thing so that yes, you can make a living, but you can come back to your family, healthy and alive."

"We are seeing a lot of incidences on farms where tractors and so on are pulling down lines or crashing into poles and even some people using an auger and maybe hitting underground lines. So those are all things to look out for."

SaskPower is available free of charge, to go and assist with locating any underground lines.

"So if you are going to dig, call us before, for free, we will go out and indicate where all the lines are."

He notes the biggest tip is to prepare and be aware. 

"Plan your route when you're harvesting or seeding. Make sure if you have new farm machinery that you know how big it is and you know the clearance with your wires."

"And if you do happen to contact a pole or a line, be very careful not to go near that line and call us or 911 immediately so we can cut the power to the area and address it as quickly as possible."