We all have the right to go home safely every day. It’s important you know how to stay safe when you're working around our transmission lines, towers, poles and other assets. Here’s everything you need to know about how to stay safe when working near or around our transmission lines, cables, towers or poles.
1. If in doubt, talk to us first
If you're undertaking any work near transmission lines - contact us first. We can help you manage the work to ensure safety around your site and let you know if you require our consent before working around one of our assets.
2. Plan ahead - know what utilities are in your area
Before carrying out any work at your home or at work, it is important to consider what utilities are in the area. Accidental damage to a utility is not only a costly inconvenience, but it can also be very dangerous. Some utilities are easier to identify such as overhead transmission lines, power poles and other structures. Others are harder to identify and locate as they may be buried beneath the surface.
If you need to work around overhead lines or structures, reach out to the local electricity distribution company in your area. If you are undertaking work that requires digging underground, use beforeUdig - a free service that helps you to determine the presence of underground assets.
3. Take note of your surroundings – look up, beneath and around
Look up and check where lines are before undertaking work, and raising any lifting equipment including tractor attachments, augers, or ladders. Electricity can arc through the air even without direct contact.
It's important that you inspect your equipment regularly to ensure boom heights are within safe operating limits and consider using a spotter to increase visibility when working around transmission assets.
We encourage you to use signs and stickers to help remind you and your teams to 'Look out and look up.' We have resources available - to request these for your site or equipment, contact us or email us direct at: [email protected].
4. Maintain Safe distances
Select a safe route when moving tall machinery – a route where the transmission lines are high enough to give at least a 6-metre clearance.
Always keep yourself, your vehicle or anything you are touching at least 4 meters away from 110kV lines and at least 6 meters away from 220kV lines. If you’re unsure what voltage the transmission line is, stay at least 6 meters away.
Permanent structures like buildings must be well clear of assets - 12 metres from any tower or 8 metres from any pole.
If your work involves getting closer to our assets, please contact us.
5. Know what to do in an emergency
- If you see a transmission line is down - call 111 immediately. Keep everyone as far away as possible from the line and anything making contact with it. The ground around a fallen line may still carry dangerous voltage.
- If your machine contacts a line or you see a flash - stay put. Do not move or exit your machine unless there is an immediate danger such as fire.
- If you must evacuate your machine - jump clear. Keep both feet together and don’t touch the machine and ground at the same time as this creates a path for electricity to flow through your body. Then shuffle or hop away, small steps reduce the chance of shock.
Safety information for specific working environments
- Safety for Farmers
Most of your day-to-day activities should be unaffected by the presence of our transmission lines. However, there are some things to be aware of – especially when you’ve got your head down and you’re focusing on the task at hand, not on what’s around you.
Park stock trucks and large vehicles (such as harvesters) away from overhead lines, and work well away from towers and poles. Keep clear of transmission lines when working on the upper levels of stock trucks or on high loads.
Look up and check where lines are before raising any tractor attachments, augers, ladders, or using any lifting equipment or raising dump truck beds.Be careful with your irrigation system. Store, load and unload metal irrigation pipes well away from power lines. If you need to stand them up, make sure you’re well clear of any lines. Keep jet irrigators and the booms of rotary irrigators clear of all power lines. The tips of rotary irrigators must be kept 6 metres from power lines at all times whether they are in use or not.
Be cautious when moving vehicles with elevated platforms (e.g. grain augers, ladders, drills and dump truck beds). Always have lifting equipment in a lowered position before moving it under lines. Know where the lines are.
Select a safe route when moving tall machinery – a route where the transmission lines are high enough to give at least a 6 metre clearance.
Manage growth
Trees and vegetation must always be more than 4 metres away from 110 kV lines, and 6 metres away from 220 kV lines. Vegetation management is a key part of keeping safe around transmission lines and towers. Trees growing too close to power lines may cause: A fault which will affect the operation of the line injury or death to someone near the tree damage to land and property.
Although it’s quite common to use the roadside for grazing or haymaking, make sure you find out where underground power cables or gas mains are first!
If in doubt, ask us
One of our people can visit you to discuss your particular situation and advise on the potential impact and risks of what you want to do and how to proceed (for example, you may need to obtain engineering advice). We can help you manage the work to ensure safety around your site, and in most cases, this will be at no cost to you. If you want to talk to us about something (e.g. the voltage of transmission lines you will be working near), call 0508 526 369 (0508 LANDOWNER).
More information can be found on the Landowners section of our website.
- Safety for drone operators
Aerial drones or unmanned aircraft and electrical lines don’t mix.
Operating a drone close to electricity infrastructure can be hazardous. High-voltage lines generate electromagnetic fields that may interfere with your drone’s GPS and navigation systems. This interference can lead to serious incidents, such as collisions with transmission lines, nearby structures, the ground or people.
Electrical wires can be difficult to see and it’s often challenging to judge how far away they are from your drone. Beyond safety concerns, flying too close to live equipment could cause an electrical flashover, which can destroy your drone and potentially interrupt power supply.
Information about operating aerial drones legally in New Zealand can be obtained from the Civil Aviation Authority, and from the Airshare website.
Planning to fly a drone near Transpower’s lines or stations?
Check out these resources to find out how to do so safely:
- Flying a drone near Transpower assets (pdf)
- External application for drone use near Transpower assets (pdf)
Or contact us at [email protected] More information can be found here.
- Safety for horticulturalists and pickers
Know your property
Locate all the lines that pass over your property. Find out what voltage they are.
Work safely around and under lines
Be cautious when moving vehicles with elevated platforms (e.g. grain augers, ladders, drills and dump truck beds). Always have lifting equipment in a lowered position before moving it under lines. Know where the lines are.
Select a safe route when moving tall machinery – a route where the transmission lines are high enough to give at least a 6 metre clearance.
Vegetation must not be within 4m of a conductor and shall be trimmed when within 5m of a conductor (Notice Zone). Any part of any mobile plant or load carried must be at least 4 metres away from 110 kV lines or 6m away from 120kV transmission lines. If you don’t know the voltage of the lines, stay 6m away.