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| Work Safely Around Overhead Power Lines |
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| 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 training kit.
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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. Always use a dedicated spotter on the ground to help you stay clear of power lines. |
| 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 Southern California Edison (SCE) at 1-800-611-1911 to verify voltages, and consult osha.gov to determine the minimum required safety clearance distances. |
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If you must work closer to power lines than the mandated distance, call SCE 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 or anything it is touching. Keep the public far away. |
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Call 911 and SCE at 1-800-611-1911 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 SCE 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 Learn More? |
| More electrical safety tips, instructional videos and training tools can all be found, at no charge to you, at sce.com/safetyonthejob. |
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| In an Electrical Emergency, Call 911. |
| For questions about working near power lines or to report an electrical safety hazard, call SCE at 1-800-611-1911. |
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| Never Approach Anyone or Anything Touching a Downed Wire. |
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| Stay Away, Call 911 |
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