Look out for power lines:
Alert others about lines at your pre-job briefing.
Make sure everyone at the job site knows about nearby overhead and underground utilities and where they are located. Whether they are operating heavy equipment, using handheld tools, or climbing ladders, all workers on site must be aware of power lines.
Assume all lines are energized and potentially dangerous.
This includes overhead and underground lines, and the service drops that run from utility poles to buildings.
Before any work begins, make time to examine the work site carefully for overhead utilities.
Almost 200 construction workers die each year in the United States from contact with electrical energy, the fifth-leading cause of workplace death. Direct or indirect contact with power lines is the most common cause of electrocution, says the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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