Risk Reduction When Working Near Overhead Powerlines

Controlling the Risk When Working Near Overhead Powerlines

The most effective control measure is simple: remove the risk entirely. If work can be planned so that it takes place away from overhead powerlines, this option must always be taken. Eliminating the hazard is far safer than trying to manage it. No task justifies risking a life.

Eliminate the Risk Wherever Possible

If work can be moved to another location, completed using a different method, or redesigned so that overhead lines are avoided, this must be done. Removing exposure to live powerlines is the highest level of control and the most reliable way to prevent serious incidents.

Consult the Overhead Line Owner

If the work cannot be relocated, the next step is to contact the owner of the overhead line.

You should ask whether the line can be:

• Diverted away from the work area
• Replaced with underground cabling

These options may not always be practical, particularly for short-duration work, but they must always be considered as part of the planning process.

Temporary Isolation of Overhead Lines

If diversion is not possible and there is still a risk of approaching the powerline, you must establish whether the line can be temporarily switched off while work is carried out.

This must be arranged directly with the line owner and may:

• Require advance notice
• Involve a cost
• Be limited to specific time periods

Work must only continue once it has been formally confirmed that the line is safe.

When Working Near Live Lines Cannot Be Avoided

If the overhead line cannot be diverted or isolated, and there is genuinely no alternative to working nearby, a site-specific risk assessment becomes critical.

If the work cannot be carried out safely, it must not be carried out at all.

What Your Risk Assessment Must Consider

A suitable and sufficient risk assessment must examine all factors that could affect safety, including:

• The voltage and height of the overhead lines – height must be measured by a trained person using non-contact measuring equipment
• The nature of the work and whether people or machinery need to work close to or beneath the line
• The size, type, and reach of plant and equipment operating near the powerline
• The required safe clearance distance between the line and any equipment, structure, or load
• Ground conditions, including uneven or unstable terrain that could affect plant stability
• The competence, training, and level of supervision of everyone involved in the task

If there is any uncertainty about safe distances, the overhead line owner must be consulted for advice.

Planning Work Around Isolation Periods

Where overhead lines can only be switched off for limited periods, critical activities and the movement of tall machinery must be planned to take place during those windows. This reduces the time spent working near live lines.

Prevent Unsafe Storage Near Powerlines

Materials must never be stored, stacked, or placed beneath or close to overhead powerlines.

Anything that raises a person or piece of equipment closer to the wires reduces safe clearance and increases the risk of contact or electrical arcing.

Key Control Message

Eliminate the risk wherever possible. If that cannot be done, reduce it using isolation, diversion, and strict controls. If the risk cannot be controlled to an acceptable level, the work must not go ahead.