Overhead Electrical Hazards Often Within Easy Reach

When you are on the ground looking at power lines overhead, they seem so far away that you hardly give them a second thought. But sadly, that distance can easily be bridged by a worker preoccupied with setting up a tall aluminum ladder or handling a long metal pole.

Workers often can’t appreciate the dangers

Electrical and utility workers are well aware of the hazards of working with electricity, but the average worker has little such experience. If your job has nothing whatsoever to do with working with electrical panels or wiring, it’s so easy to lose sight of the hazards of unintended contact with those objects.

Keep your distance

Supervisors and their employees should know the locations of all overhead power lines before starting work. It is essential that workers maintain a safe distance from these lines. Depending on the voltage of the line, the do-not-approach zone is generally between 10 and 23 feet (three to seven meters).

Always assume that electrical lines are energized at lethal voltages. Unless you know that an electrical utility has cut the power, don’t gamble with your life.