Power line and equipment contacts

Power equipment can be dangerous

That’s why we take extra precautions to ensure the safety of our employees and customers.

Power lines may show no signs of being energized and can cause serious injury or death if you come in contact with one. Here's how to stay safe:

Stay back at least 10 metres (33 feet), which is about the length of a school bus.
If you are less than 10 metres away from the downed power line, shuffle to a safe distance
Electricity travels through the ground in waves that lose power as they spread further away from the point of contact. If a line comes down near you, shuffle (keeping your feet together) until you are at least 10 metres (33 feet) away. Don't lift your feet off the ground.
Call 911 or EPCOR immediately and tell them the exact location of the line.
Do not attempt to help someone who is in contact or within 10 metres of a downed power line
Call 911 and keep everyone else at least 10 metres away.
If your car is in contact with a downed power line, stay inside your vehicle
Tell others to stay back at least 10 meters (33 feet). Don't leave the vehicle until someone from EPCOR tells you it is safe to do so.
If a downed line touches someone else's vehicle, tell them to stay inside
Keep others at least 10 metres away from the vehicle until someone from EPCOR says it is safe. Don't approach the vehicle.
Do not drive over downed power lines.

Always pay attention and obey warning signs posted by EPCOR on our electrical substations. Never enter the fenced in area of a substation as there is a high risk of injury.

Electrical facilities are dangerous. Entering or tampering with these assets can result in injury or death.

To help keep our crews and the public safe, please report any theft, damage, suspicious activity or unattended copper components to the police and/or to EPCOR.

If your ball or Frisbee goes over the fence of a substation, contact EPCOR for assistance.

If you see a gate open to a substation, stay out and report it to EPCOR.

Transformers

Transformers are large grey or green boxes sometimes referred to as a utility box or an electrical box. Transformers can contain a variety of different utility equipment. This equipment can be dangerous, which is why transformers typically have warning signs with messages like "Danger High Voltage" and "Danger Keep Out". Do not play on or around these transformers and keep others from playing on them.

Contact EPCOR if you see:

A transformer with a door that is open or damaged
A vehicle hit a transformer (as this can cause a power outage)

If your vehicle hits electrical equipment, the first thing to remember is to stay in your vehicle. Do a quick assessment of the situation, try to determine whether or not you are a safe distance from power lines and equipment. Determine if your vehicle is drivable, depending on whether it is or not, follow the steps below.

If you can drive away:

If your vehicle is driveable and the vehicle is not entangled in the power line, drive away to a safe distance (at least 10 metres or about the length of a school bus).
Report the incident by calling EPCOR or 911. We will dispatch a crew to turn off the power and make the environment safe.
Do not approach the damaged equipment and keep others at least 10 metres away at all times.

If you can't drive away:

If you can't drive away or the power line is caught on your vehicle, stay inside your vehicle
Report the incident by calling EPCOR or 911. We will dispatch a crew to turn off the power and make the environment safe
Stay in your car until the door is opened for you by an EPCOR employee — they will know best when it's safe and guide you to exit your vehicle.
Keep others at least 10 metres away from your vehicle at all times.

If there's a fire:

Exit your vehicle by jumping clear of your vehicle. Keep your feet close together, landing on the ground with both feet at the same time. Do not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time and don't return to or reach back into the vehicle to get anything you may have forgotten.
Once on the ground, shuffle your feet (keeping both feet on the ground at all times) until you are at least 10 metres away from your vehicle.
Call 911 and keep others at least 10 metres away at all times.

Safe work practices around electrical equipment

Power line voltage from electrical equipment has enough power to cause serious injury or worse. When working near or around overhead lines, underground power lines, or other electrical equipment, it is important for everyone to practice electrical safety. Stay safe around power equipment; plan your work to make sure you are 7 metres away from overhead power lines, and get locates for any underground electrical infrastructure.

Consequences of coming into contact with electrical source

Electric shock, burns or Arc Flash burns that occur from direct or indirect contact with electrical infrastructure are serious injuries and could result in death.

Electric shock

Electric shock can cause damage to the nerves and organs in the body, especially the heart (can cause fibrillation).

Electric burns

Electric burns produced by contact with a power source can be mild, superficial, or severe depending on the circumstances of the contact. Exterior electrical burns can be misleading because most of the damage occurs underneath the skin. These burns tend to develop from the inside out and will continue to progress hours after the contact. They can result in loss of a limb.

Arc flash burns and injuries

What is an arc flash? Arc flashes are electrical explosions that happen when electric current flows through an air gap between conductors. Arc flashes expel deadly amounts of energy and can reach temperatures as high as 19,400°C — that's almost four times hotter than the sun. Even from a distance, that heat can set fire to clothing and burn human skin within milliseconds.

Arc flash events can ignite or melt clothing, resulting in further burns, and can also cause burns to the eyes and respiratory tract. Victims often require grafts or amputations, death is a possibility with the increased severity of the burn and percent of body area affected.

Arc flashes also release explosive sound and pressure waves, sometimes with enough strength to knock workers off balance and rupture eardrums, causing hearing loss. The pressure blast of an arc flash can result in impact injury from being thrown, falling from a height, or colliding with nearby objects.

If you witness or are aware of an electrical injury, remember that your first priority is to ensure your own safety.

Do not attempt to help a person who has been electrically shocked or burned until the source of electricity has been removed.
Call 911 to report the injury.
If it is safe to do so, provide first aid by assessing consciousness, checking for a pulse and circulation, and treating burns (if possible). Focus on life-saving measures as instructed in first aid. These types of injuries are usually far beyond first aid measures and require a timely and professional medical response.

Call us 24/7

Phone: 705-445-1800

Disclaimer

This webpage provides information only. Any reliance placed on this information is strictly at your own risk. EPCOR does not assume any responsibility or liability for any action, loss or damage that arises out of, or is in connection with the information contained in this webpage.