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Skip Navigation LinksEPCOR / Outages & Safety / Safety / Safety at Work / Contractor Handbook: Working in Close Proximity / Safe Work Planning

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​Employers and contractors should consult the Alberta OHS Act, Regulation, and Code for more information on safe work planning as this is an overview and does not provide all the requirements.

A site visit is required to assess the hazards. Always consider electrical utilities to be live with the potential of causing serious injury or death. Legislation requires that all work related hazards be identified and that unsupervised work be performed by those workers deemed competent.

According to Alberta OHS Code, Part 1, Definitions and General Application (Edmonton, Alberta: Alberta Queen's Printer, 2009. Print.),

"Competent in relation to a person, means adequately qualified, suitably trained and with sufficient experience to safely perform without supervision or with only a minimal degree of supervision".

For more information:

  • Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Code: Part 2 Hazard Assessment, Elimination, and Control.
  • 7 (1) An employer must assess a work site and identify existing and potential hazards before work begins at the work site or prior to the construction of a new work site.
  • 7 (2) An employer must prepare a report of the results of a hazard assessment and the methods used to control or eliminate the hazards identified.
  • 7 (3) An employer must ensure that the date on which the hazard assessment is prepared or revised is recorded on it.​
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Formal Hazard Assessment Field Level Hazard Assessments Electrical Hazards Locates Additional Information
Formal Hazard Assessment
​The documented safe work plan must identify and evaluate occupational health and safety hazards, and identify the controls used to mitigate those hazards. Hazard assessments must be reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure that existing controls are effective.
Field Level Hazard Assessments
​​A field level hazard assessment is site specific. The employee in charge at the site will ensure a safe work plan is developed. All employees on site must assist in hazard identification and mitigation. Employees must constantly assess the hazards, and if required, stop the work and revise the safe work plan identifying new hazards and controls for those hazards. Additional workers or visitors to the site should review and sign off on the primary safe work plan.
Electrical Hazards
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For more information

  • Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Code, Part 17 Overhead Power Lines.
  • 225 (1) An employer must contact the power line operator before work is done or equipment is operated within 7.0 metres of an energized overhead power line.

Employers are required to ensure that employees, tools, materials, equipment, and mobile equipment used in work do not come within 7 m of overhead power lines. In developing a safe work plan, consider electrical factors that include, but are not limited to:

  • Ground disturbance including utility locating and excavating.
  • Height and reach of the equipment in proximity to energized overhead electrical equipment.
  • Equipment placement.
  • Use of conducting materials.
  • Need to notify and/or seek assistance from the electric utility owner.
Locates

Call or click before you dig

1 (800) 242-3447
utilitysafety.ca

The Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Code, the Alberta Electrical Utility Code, and the Alberta Pipeline Regulation require that the locations of all buried utilities be marked before a ground disturbance begins. Utilities and homeowners (e.g. security lighting) that are not members of Utility Safety Partners must be contacted directly for locates. All locates must be current and on site throughout the excavation.

All cables must be treated as energized throughout the excavation process.

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Additional Information
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  • In the City of Edmonton, EPCOR's locate contractor will only locate primary power lines up to the primary metering point, and secondary power lines located on public property and single family residential lots.
  • Secondary power lines located on private property in multifamily, commercial or industrial lots, as well as primary power lines located past the primary metering point, will need to be located by the facility owner or through private locates.
  • If you are working adjacent to transmission facilities (72 kV and 240 kV underground lines) your Utility Safety Partners ticket will indicate that you must first receive clearance from EPCOR prior to excavation. EPCOR will locate these facilities on site or contact you to provide you with clearance after you receive your Utility Safety Partners ticket. You are not cleared to excavate until this clearance is provided
  • Multiple circuits can be present in the same alignment. EPCOR's locate contractor will mark separate circuits where separation exists or will indicate the presence of multiple power lines on your ticket. EPCOR power lines may be direct buried or be installed inside a conduit. In three phase areas, there are three power cables for every circuit which may be separated by up to 1 m. EPCOR can provide additional information on the number of cables.​

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