10/03/2018
Affected by Friday's storm? While waiting to have your power restored, check if your home's electrical mast was pulled away from the house, broken, or detached. Also look for sagging wires. If there's damage, it could cause a fire or electrical shock. Your utility can't restore power until your service mast is repaired and ESA approves the reconnection.
Follow these four steps to get your service mast repaired:
1. Don't try to repair this equipment yourself. Stay back to avoid the risk of shock, electrocution or fire.
2. Contact a Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC) to make repairs. Find one here: https://findacontractor.esasafe.com/
3. Once you've hired an LEC:
- The LEC will take out an ESA permit so there's a record of the work;
- When the LEC completes the repair, they will notify ESA and an ESA Inspector will confirm work has been done safely and power can be reconnected;
- ESA will inform the utility that it is safe to reconnect;
- The utility will reconnect when it is able to do so.
4. After the repair is done, ask the contractor for a copy of the ESA Certificate of Inspection. The Insurance Bureau of Canada notes that most home insurance policies cover these types of repairs provided that an LEC does the repairs, your insurance deductible would apply and you'll need receipts and the ESA Certificate of Inspection for the claim.
