Before you start

WorkSafeNB and NB Power are reminding contractors and workers to Look Up! before starting a job involving heavy equipment.

1. Look up and down
   Before you start work, look for power lines overhead and underground. Plan your work so you can avoid contact with power lines, and call NB Power to identify any underground lines before you dig.
   Check your work area before moving equipment, tools or materials. Use a designated signaler who knows the minimum safe distance of approach and can watch for hazards while equipment is moving.
2. Stay back
   Keep yourself, your equipment and materials a safe distance from power lines. Follow WorkSafeNB requirements and maintain the appropriate distance based on the voltage of the line. The higher the voltage, the more distance you need to keep between your equipment and the power line.
   Never assume a power line is insulated or safe to touch.
3. Call for help
   Before you work near a power line, call NB Power at 1 800 663-6272. Choose your language and press 4 to speak with an agent.
   We can help you:
   • Locate underground power lines
   • De-energize and insulate overhead lines
   • Raise overhead lines
   • Install warning signs in hazardous areas

Minimum safe distances

Electricity can travel through objects that contact a power line and can even jump across an air gap. The higher the voltage of the line, the farther away people, equipment and materials need to stay.

If you do not know the voltage, stay back 6.1 metres (20 feet) from the line or call NB Power before you start.

Digging? Look down

Some power lines are only one foot below the ground. Know what is below before you dig.

Call 1 800 663-6272 before you dig to request a free underground line locate. An expert from the NB Power team will examine the area and mark buried power lines for free.

You've hit a line. Now what?

If your equipment contacts a power line, stay calm and stay put. Keep everyone else away. Assume the equipment is energized! Call for help.

Cranes and excavators: Swing away 

If mobile equipment with a swing function (such as excavators and cranes) comes into contact with a power line and remains operational, carefully swing the equipment clear of the line. Do not attempt this if the equipment is tangled in or wrapped around the conductors, stay put and dial 911. 

Dump trucks: Stay put 

If your dump truck bucket contacts a power line, stay inside the cab and call 911. Do not exit the vehicle unless there is an immediate danger, such as a fire.

Keep everyone else away from the equipment and power line. Always assume the equipment is energized and wait for emergency responders to arrive.

Worksite safety tips

• Be careful when you move cranes, backhoes, ladders, pipes or other materials and equipment near power lines.
• Safe distances of approach apply to any materials or equipment that can move, slip, swing or fall. Plan for the unexpected and leave extra space.
• Mark unsafe areas and safe spaces. NB Power can provide warning signs.
• Keep workers away from large machines near power lines.
• Flags and paint show where a buried power line is, but they do not show how deep it is. Follow the safety guidelines provided by NB Power during the Underground Locate Service

Working near power lines around a property

• Keep ladders, wood and all other equipment at least 3.6 metres (12 feet) from a power line.
• When you trim or cut a tree, make sure it cannot touch or fall on a power line.
• If a tree falls onto a line, stay 10 metres (33 feet) away.
• Call NB Power at 1 800 663-6272 before you cut trees near a power line.
• Place antennas far away from power lines.
• If a fallen line touches the ground or equipment, stay at least 10 metres (33 feet) away.