Click to Know, What’s ABOVE and Below

USP’s Education & Awareness Committee

Locate requests for underground utility assets now include an additional notification for registered overhead power lines. 

Until October 2024, Utility Safety Partners (USP) is hosting a pilot project that notifies those who are working in a dig zone of the presence of overhead power lines. Excavators receive information about how to stay safe near these overhead assets and how to contact the power provider for further information.

Providing a more comprehensive notification for workers and helping them to work safely is driving this new initiative. Since November 2023, over 9,600 excavators have been provided with safety information about overhead power lines near their work area. 

This project goes hand in hand with USP’s Government Relations Committee who is working closely with the provincial government to create legislation that will ensure all overhead assets are identified prior to starting work, much the same way that underground assets are identified. 

So, if you notice that your locate ticket has a second notification that lists the names and utilities associated with an overhead asset, remember to (1) make yourself and others in the work zone aware of the hazards, (2) take the necessary safety steps such as considering the height and width of the equipment you will be working with, and (3) contact the utility owner listed on the ticket if you need to get closer than seven metres away from the power line. The utility owner can provide more information about working safely around their lines and provide a safety orientation and other working instructions. 

Some operators and companies are not aware that contact with an overhead power line is not only a huge risk to your life but can create devastating damage to equipment and your pocketbook. Remember to stay seven meters safe!

More information about overhead power line safety can be found on USP’s website.