TEN IT’S ELECTRIC: Tips for Staying Safe When Working Near Fallen Power Lines Touch Versus Step Potential The minute responders receive a call for an emergency job the clock starts and their preparedness is tested. As humans, we’re prone to make mistakes, especially when we rush ourselves. In emergency situations, rushing can cause us to overlook crucial hazards, forget necessary gear, and neglect to avoid the line of fire, which prevents us from doing our job safely. When entering an area with a fallen power line, you must be hyper-aware of your surroundings and keep safety as your top priority—it’s no place to enter rushed and unprepared. Below are some key points to remember when your brain is in “go mode” to keep yourself, your crew, and the public safe. 1. Approaching the Scene Be sure to conduct thorough observations—downed wires, poles, or trees; wires laying in water or on/near fences; and sparking wires are all hazards to be aware of when arriving on site. Be advised that any wires on the ground should be treated as live. If you do notice these types of threats, move to safety and then reach out to your emergency team for guidance if you’re not sure what the next steps are. 2. Take Time to Do It Right The only way to keep everyone safe is to stay calm and focused. Take a moment to slow down and concentrate on what you are doing at that moment. Whatever your role is during an emergency, double check your work to ensure it’s accurate and the area is safe. 3. Setting Up the Work Area The voltage gradient from wires laying on the ground is cut in half for every 2.5 to 3 feet removed from the energy source. Based on multiple tests, a minimum distance of 30 feet is enough space for you and your equipment to stay safe and to keep the public away from any hazardous areas. 4. Better Safe Than Sorry Keep safety at the forefront—consider all equipment, potential conductors, and electrical lines to be energized. Hazards Among the Downed Lines Working in areas that may be energized after a fallen power line increases your chances of touch and step potential. These two safety hazards are crucial to understand so you can avoid energizing yourself and the surrounding area. Touch Potential: Voltage between the energized object and the human body. Touch potential occurs when a person touches an item energized by a power line, such as a tree, fence, tower, or the line What You Need to Know About Electrical Injuries It is important to understand potential injuries that can occur when working around fallen power lines and how to tend to those injuries. The four types of injuries include electrocution, electrical shock, burns, and falls. To properly care for these injuries, start by turning off the source of electricity. If you can’t do that, push it away with a dry, nonconducting object, like cardboard or plastic. If the injury is severe, call 911. If treating another person’s injury, check to see if they are showing any signs of circulation,including coughing, breathing, or movement. If the person shows none of these signs, begin CPR immediately. Keep yourself or the injured person warm and cover any burned areas with sterile gauze and a bandage or a clean cloth—avoid blankets and towels as these materials tend to have loose fibers that can stick to burns. The highest rate of fatal electrical injury in 2016 occurred in the Utility industry —followed by the Construction industry. source: the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI). source: image provided by Florida Power & Light. • Smoke • Wood • Rope itself. Once the person meets the electrical energy, they become a conductor for the energy to travel to the ground and throughout the surrounding area. To Avoid: stay away from anything that could be a potential conductor of energy—even unpredictable materials can wreak havoc. Conductive materials include, but aren’t limited to: • Metal • Water • Human body Step Potential: Voltage between the feet of a person. Step potential occurs when an electrical current has worked its way to the ground and, based on the resistive nature of the ground, the current has charged random spots that you cannot predict. Because the potential risk is so unpredictable, it is important to keep a safe distance (30 feet) away from fallen power lines. To Avoid: do not go near the line(s). If you find yourself closer than 30 feet to a downed power line, keep your feet together or only allow one foot to contact the potentially energized ground. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to walk in potentially energized areas, it is important to remember to take short, shuffled steps with your feet to walk away safely.