Meter Reader Fired After Dog Injured

Posted: Mar 15, 2011 4:32 PM by Press Release
Updated: Mar 15, 2011 5:03 PM

The following is a statement from LUS Director Terry Huval:

LUS has completed its investigation concerning the actions of a contractor-supplied meter reader on Friday, March 11, 2011, which resulted in an injury to a customer's dog. LUS has determined that the contract meter reader did not follow established procedure in dealing with this situation. As a result, this contract meter reader is no longer working for LUS or LCG.

Because dog bites are the number one cause of injuries to meter readers, our employees are regularly trained in ways to avoid these types of confrontations with animals in the field. The meter reader in this situation panicked and did not follow appropriate procedure. LUS meter readers perform more than one million reads per year, and in the 16 years I have been LUS director, we have never had an incident this severe. LUS regrets the incident and has taken necessary action to remove this meter reader from LUS duty.

In the meantime, LUS has been in the process of converting to a system that will allow our meters to be read remotely. One advantage of this system is that it will eliminate the need for our employees to enter private property for meter reading purposes.