| Work safely around overhead power lines |
| Roofing, installing rain gutters, painting exteriors, hanging holiday lights and other overhead activities can bring you dangerously close to energized lines. Follow these tips to protect yourself and your crew from potentially deadly electrical contact. |
| Order our FREE worker safety kit on the National Grid e-SMARTworkers website. |
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| Look up and look out |
Carefully examine your work site for overhead power lines, poles and guy wires before starting every job, and point them out to crew members. Make it a habit to check for power lines before raising ladders, tools or materials and when erecting, moving or dismantling scaffolds. |
| Follow the 10‑foot rule |
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Keep yourself, all tools, equipment, and vehicles at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines carrying up to 50 kV. Greater voltages require greater distances. |
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Before work begins, call National Grid to verify voltages and consult osha.gov to determine the minimum required safety clearance distances: |
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Massachusetts: 1‑800‑322‑3223 |
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New York: 1‑800‑642‑4272 |
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If you must work closer to power lines than the mandated distance, call National Grid well in advance to make safety arrangements. |
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Carry all ladders, long-handled tools, gutters, siding and downspouts level with the ground. |
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Keep in mind that tools, equipment, and materials can shift due to wind or unexpected events. Always maintain the minimum required clearance plus a buffer zone. |
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| In case of power line contact |
| If your equipment should contact an overhead power line or cause an overhead power line to fall, assume the power line is energized and take the following steps: |
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Do NOT touch or move the line. Keep the public far away. |
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Call 911 and National Grid immediately. Do NOT resume work until utility representatives tell you it is safe. |
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If the line should fall onto a truck or other equipment, don’t panic. Warn everyone, including other workers, to stay far away from the vehicle as well as the power line. Anyone inside or on the vehicle should stay where they are until instructed otherwise by National Grid or emergency officials. |
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Always remember to stay at least 30 feet away from a fallen distribution line and at least 100 feet away from a fallen transmission line. |
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| Would you like to know more? |
| Additional utility safety tips, case studies, instructional videos and educational tools can all be found, at no charge to you, on National Grid’s contractor safety website. |
