Electricity at work - Simple precautions

Overhead power lines

What you need to know

Accidental contact with live overhead power lines kills people and causes many serious injuries every year. People are also harmed when a person or object gets too close to a line and a flashover occurs. Work involving high vehicles or long equipment is particularly high risk, such as;
In Construction - Lorry mounted cranes, Mobile Elevated Work Platforms, scaffold poles, tipper vehicles, cranes, ladders;
In Agriculture - combines, sprayer booms, materials handlers, tipper vehicles, ladders, irrigation pipes, polytunnels
Remember:

• Going close to a live overhead line can result in a flashover that may kill. Touching a power line is not necessary for danger

• Voltages lower than 230 volts can kill and injure people

• Do not mistake overhead power lines on wooden poles for telephone wires

• Electricity can bypass wood, plastic or rubber, if it is damp or dirty, and cause fatal shocks. Don't rely on gloves or rubber boots to protect you.

What you need to do

Plan and manage work near electric overhead power lines so that risks from accidental contact or close proximity to the lines are adequately controlled.

Safety precautions will depend on the nature of the work and will be essential even when work near the line is of short duration.

Safety can be achieved by a combination of measures:

• Planning and preparation

• Eliminating the danger

• Controlling the access

• Controlling the work

For more information and downloadable information documents please visit www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/overhead

Source: www.hse.gov.uk

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