eLCOSH : Roadway Safety: Electrical Hazards

Roadway Safety: Electrical Hazards

Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America

This document is one in a program produced under an OSHA grant by a consortium of the Laborers' Health and Safety Fund N.A, the International Union of Operating Engineers, the American Road and Transportation Builders Assn, and the National Asphalt Pavement Assn. All of the documents from this set that are on eLCOSH can be found by clicking on Job Site, Heavy construction, and scrolling to the Street & highway heading. Or to download a complete version of the computerized program, go to http://wzsafety.tamu.edu.

What Are the Dangers of Electricity?
Contact can cause explosion, fire, electrocution.

On the worksite

Equipment contacting a live electrical line can cause fire, explosion, or electrocution
Electricity can arc from the line to the equipment
Electricity can cause severe burns and death

Work around electricity only

When you are trained in all aspects of the job
When you have a reason to be there

How Do We Treat Above-Ground Utilities?
Use extreme caution and keep your distance.

When working around a power line

Get the utility company to mark, flag, and shield lines
Assume it is live until tested, have it de-energized and visibly grounded
If it must remain energized, keep equipment and load at least 10 feet away and use a spotter to warn the operator
Post signs at ground level to mark safe distance
Make all workers and drivers who must enter the area aware of the overhead lines

Tips for operators

Mark a safe route for repeated travel
Slow down

Minimum Safe Distances Power Lines
Voltage	Distance
50 kV or below	10
>50-200 kV	15
>200 - 350 kV	20
>350 - 500 kV	25
>500 - 750 kV	35
>750 - 1,000 kV	45
More in fog or rain

What If Contact Happens?
Do not touch equipment or person in contact.

If you are on the ground

Stay away from the vehicle!
Do not touch any equipment or person in contact with the line
Get the lines de-energized

If you are in the vehicle

Stay in the vehicle and do not touch any metal
If you must get out, jump clear, then shuffle slowly away

until lines are deenergized, the operator may be safest in machine

Can We Be Safe Around Buried Utilities?
Contact can cause explosion, fire, electrocution.

Before digging

Call electrical, gas, and communications utilities
Review marked out areas. They may not be exact. Dig by hand within 2 feet of mark-out.

When digging, look for:

Signs of previous digging: changes in soil types, asphalt patches or depressions, concrete, plastic, or gravel

If a line is hit, you must report it

If it's a gas line, evacuate and secure area, call fire department

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