ELE/Specific Hazards/TBT-ELE-002

Overhead Power Lines

Electrical Safety › Specific Hazards › Overhead Power Lines

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Contact with overhead power lines kills construction workers in the UK every year, most commonly during crane and plant operations.
Electricity can arc across air gaps — you do not need to touch a power line to be electrocuted by it.
Voltages on overhead lines range from 230V on domestic supplies to 400,000V on transmission lines.
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require safe distances to be maintained from overhead power lines.
Goal posts, bunting, and height restriction barriers must be used to prevent plant from entering the danger zone.
A risk assessment must identify all overhead power lines on or near the site before any work begins.
The minimum safe clearance distance depends on the voltage — for lines up to 33kV it is a minimum of 6 metres.
Crane operators, MEWP users, and tipper truck drivers are at highest risk from overhead power line contact.
The electricity supply company must be consulted when working within the safe clearance zone of any power line.
If plant or equipment contacts a power line, stay in the cab and warn others to keep away until supply is confirmed isolated.

Prevent electrocution	Contact with overhead lines is almost always fatal — safe distances and physical barriers are the only reliable prevention.
Arc flash danger	Electricity arcs across air gaps at high voltages — a crane or MEWP does not need to touch the line to cause electrocution.
Legal duty	The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require safe clearance distances; breaches carry criminal penalties including imprisonment.

Don't

Identify all overhead power lines on and adjacent to the site before work starts.
Install goal posts, height barriers, and bunting to mark safe clearance zones.
Maintain minimum safe clearance distances from all overhead power lines at all times.
Brief all crane, MEWP, and plant operators on the location of power lines before work.
Contact the electricity supply company if work must take place near power lines.
Use a banksman to guide tall plant and vehicles near overhead power line crossings.
Consider requesting the power company to divert, raise, or insulate the lines.
Mark power line crossing points with warning signs visible to all drivers.
Stop work immediately if any equipment comes within the exclusion zone of a line.
If plant contacts a line, stay in the cab and warn everyone to keep well clear.

DON'T raise any plant, crane boom, or tipper body near overhead power lines.
DON'T assume you are safe because the line looks high — arcing bridges air gaps.
DON'T work within the minimum clearance distance without the supply company's agreement.
DON'T operate cranes, MEWPs, or excavators near power lines without a specific briefing.
DON'T ignore goal posts, bunting, or height restriction barriers — they mark danger zones.
DON'T remove or reposition power line warning signs or height restriction equipment.
DON'T store materials or equipment beneath overhead power lines where tall plant may load.
DON'T allow scaffold or temporary structures to be erected within the exclusion zone.
DON'T leave the cab if plant contacts a line — stay inside and call for help.
DON'T touch anyone or anything in contact with a live power line — call 999 immediately.

See also: Underground Cables | Lifting Near Overhead Power Lines

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