Northern California Engineering Contractors Association

POWER LINE CONTACTS IN CONSTRUCTION

Each year, fifty-five construction workers are killed by electrocution from contact with overhead power lines. Over 90 percent of the contacts involved overhead distribution lines. These are the same lines that run in the alleys behind our houses and through our job sites.

There are distinct patterns to these fatalities. The most obvious is apathy. We all grew up around power lines. Since they are so common to us, they seem harmless.

This serious mistake is fueled by two common misconceptions: the belief that some overhead lines do not carry enough power to kill, and the belief that power lines are well-insulated. Both are dead wrong.  click here for more.