Power Line Safety

Accidentally contacting a power line can be dangerous and even deadly.

Whether you are playing outdoors with your children or working on landscaping projects, keep a safe distance from power lines and other equipment Northern Electric uses to get electricity to your home.

Always remember to:

  • Stay away from power lines, meters, transformers, and electrical boxes.
  • Do not climb trees near power lines.
  • Never fly kites, remote control airplanes, drones, or balloons near power lines.
  • If you get something stuck in a power line, call Northern Electric Cooperative at 1-800-529-0310.
  • Stay 10 feet from overhead power lines when working with ladders or installing objects such as antennas. 
  • Never touch or go near a downed power line.
  • Do not touch anything that may be touching a downed line, such as a car.
  • Keep children and pets away.

Always call 811 to have underground power lines located before you start a digging or landscaping project around your home, farm, or business.

Would you know what to do if your tractor, sprayer, or heavy equipment contacted a power line?

One wrong move could be the difference between life and death.

Greg McCann of Yankton County shares the tragic story of his son who contacted an overhead power line with a sprayer and died as he tried to escape. 

 

The 2012 National Electric Safety Code requires distribution power lines - like the ones Northern Electric Cooperative maintains - to be 18.5 feet off the ground over fields and roads where there is truck traffic. Line taps that service homes, shops, and sheds are often only 10 to 16 feet above the ground. Many plows, disks, and farm equipment - including new heavy-duty tractors - can range in height from 12 to 19 feet. That is not much room between you and high-voltage electricity. 

Before you get into your large farm equipment take a few minutes for safety:

  • Locate all overhead power lines around buildings and along well-traveled roads and routes. Just because you have always cleared the power lines in the past with old equipment doesn’t mean the new bigger piece of equipment will make it underneath the lines.
  • Always stay at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines. If you have to climb up a ladder to maintain a building or equipment make sure you stay a safe distance from overhead lines.
  • Lower equipment apparatus and any extensions before driving underneath overhead lines. Making contact with overhead lines can cause major damage and could even be deadly. 

If you do accidentally run into an overhead line there are some important safety steps to keep in mind:

  • Stay inside the vehicle or equipment. The safest place to be when machinery comes in contact with a power line is inside the cab because the rubber tires insulate you from the electricity. Call for help and tell everyone to stay 40 feet away from the area because the downed line could be energizing the ground.
  • If you do need to get out of the machinery hop out with both feet together. Do not touch the equipment and the ground at the same time because you will become the path for the electricity to get to the ground.
  • Shuffle with your feet together at least 40 feet away from the vehicle. If you take normal steps away from the equipment and the ground is still energized you could still become a path for the electricity even if you are out of the cab. 

  • When plowing, avoid electrical cabinets, poles, wires, and other equipment. Winter presents additional challenges to utility workers as well as additional hazards for home and business owners.

  • Be aware of electrical equipment and power lines, noting the locations of electrical cabinets, poles, and wires before the snow gets too deep.

  • Mark electrical equipment near driveways and sidewalks with flags or posts to avoid hitting the equipment with a plow when the snow gets deep. 

  • Shovel by hand around power equipment.

  • Never touch a downed power line

  • Always assume fallen power lines are energized.

  • Stay away from a downed power line and any nearby objects it may be touching, such as a fence or a tree limb.

  • Never touch a person or object that is in direct or indirect contact with a downed power line. Instead, call 911 immediately.

  • Never attempt to move a downed power line.

  • Contact Northern Electric Cooperative at 605-225-0310 or call 911 immediately to report downed power lines.

Stay warm and safe this winter!

Together, we’re Re-Energizing Safety.