EA Networks Trees department are qualified to trim or remove trees near power lines that may pose a problem. With the landowners consent, we can fell problem trees at our cost in order to prevent continual interruptions to the power supply. Or you can hire any qualified arborist or do it yourself. But remember, service lines are dangerous so always arrange a time to have your power supply temporarily disconnected before working near service lines. For more information or to arrange temporary disconnections, call us on (03) 307 9800.

Before building a tree hut check that the tree is nowhere near power lines. This should ensure that children will not be able to come into contact with the power lines where they could be seriously injured or even killed.

Before climbing a tree to retrieve an item caught on a branch, check there are no power lines near the tree or the item. And if you tangle an item on a power line, call EA Networks on (03) 307 9800 to arrange for an EA Networks faultsperson to come and remove it. NEVER TRY TO REMOVE IT YOURSELF.

The Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003

 

Under the Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003 tree owners are legally required to keep their trees clear of network-owned power lines. This is for everyone's safety as trees can cause lines to clash or break, interrupting power supply and causing serious risk of electrocution or fire. And anyone - especially children - climbing a tree near power lines is at risk of serious injury or even death by touching the lines accidentally. The regulations will help prevent such accidents. 

View the Tree Regulations here

Follow these overhead power lines safety tips:

If you are handling any tall object near power lines, keep an eye on what is above you - don't let it come in contact with power lines. You should keep yourself and any objects you are handling, at least four metres away from overhead power lines.

Look up

Watch out for overhead lines around boat ramps, mast-heads or when towing your boat on land. Serious injury or even death can occur when a mast comes into contact with power lines. So look up, and be aware of where the lines are before you start positioning the boat, especially when backing the boat into position.

An electric shock

In the event of an electrical shock, don't touch the victim until you are certain the source of electricity has been removed. Call 111.

If a boat mast has brought down the power lines around a car, the safest way to avoid electric shock is for occupants to stay in the car until help arrives. They should only try to get away from the car if another urgent matter, such as a fire in the car, forces them to evacuate.

In General

Overhead electricity lines are not insulated and if contact - or near contact - is made with them by anything capable of conducting electricity - including fishing rods and lines, kites or model plane controls, the electricity will pass through the object with the risk of injuring or killing anyone holding or near to the object. Be aware that a truck, crane, forklift, irrigation pipe, marquee, boat mast (ashore or on the water) or even a tall ladder accidentally touching an overhead power line can lead to serious injury or death. If you are planning some home maintenance such as painting or trimming trees, be careful when you are working in the vicinity of power lines where they enter your house. These lines are not safe to touch.

Items on lines

If you tangle an item on a power line, call EA Networks on (03) 307 9800 to arrange for an EA Networks service team to come and remove it. Never try to remove it yourself.

• Use a Residual Current Device (RCD) to automatically disconnect the power in the event of a fault. An RCD is a good safety device for Christmas lights outdoors and indoors.
• It is a good idea to use low voltage Christmas lights. These have transformer that reduce the voltage going into the lights from 230 volts to 12 volts, reducing the risk of an electric shock if there is a fault with your lights.
• Use waterproof exterior power plugs supplied from an RCD.
• Fully unwind extension cords to avoid overheating and a fire risk.
• Don't put more than one plug or double plug into a power point or extension cord outlet. Be careful not to overload power points or multi-boards. Too many plugs in a single power point can cause a fire.
• Make sure outdoor lights are securely attached to trees, house walls or other firm supports to protect the lights from wind damage. Use specially insulated staples or clips to hold strings of lights in place (not nails or tacks), and mount them out of reach.
• When you replace lamps, use lamps of the same voltage and wattage. If the voltage or wattage of the replacement lamp is too high, it could overheat and start a fire.
• Always switch off and unplug light strings before replacing lamps.

• If putting lights outside, check they are safe to use externally and are in good condition. 

Broken lines or damaged poles

Call EA Networks Faults on (03) 307 9800 to report broken lines or damaged poles.

Treat all power lines as live at all times and keep everyone, especially children, well clear of the area.

If a car has hit a pole and brought down the power lines, the safest way to avoid electric shock is for occupants to stay in the car until help arrives. They should only try to get away from the car if another urgent matter, such as a fire in the car, forces them to evacuate. If they must leave the car before help arrives, they need to jump clear, being careful not to touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time.

If you hit an underground cable

If you damage an electrical cable, contact us immediately. Call EA Networks Faults on (03) 307 9800 to report the damage, treat the cable as live and keep all people well away from the area.

Lines clashing

In high winds, power lines can clash together, making bright flashes and loud bangs and can cause power surges and outages.

EA Networks can install a separator on the lines to prevent clashing. To report clashing lines call EA Networks Faults on (03) 307 9800 and we will arrange for a faults person to assess whether a lines separator is required.

Items on lines

If you tangle an item on a power line, call EA Networks on (03) 307 9800 to arrange for an EA Networks service team to come and remove it. Never try to remove it yourself. 

There are two main types of generators:

• Portable generators (motors/caravans)
• Standby generators
   

Using portable generators safely

Portable generators are designed to be moved from site-site. Generally they are not intended to be connected directly to your electrical system (see standby generators for exception). Normally they are single-phase units and you should only use them to supply items such as portable lighting, heaters and appliances connected to the generator using flexible cords.
 

Important sadety advice

• Never connect your generator to a wall outlet supply or by altering your house wiring. This can feed electricity back into the distribution system lines and rist the lives of line workers who may be working some distance from your house.
• Never connect loads that exceed the generator's maximum output rating. Most generators have a maximum rating in watts, for example 2000 watts (two kilowatts).
• Never use a generator indoors. You risk carbon monoxide poisoning from the fumes and also risk fire.
• Never add fuel while the generator is running
• Never use damaged leads or appliances.
• Never connect all appliances at the same time; start with the largest and progressively add successive ones up to the generator's maximum output.
• Never 'Piggy back' cords - always use a multiple-outlet box with built in load limiters.
• Never leave a running generator unattended; turn it off at night and when away from home.

TIP: Refrigerators may only need to run a few hours a day to preserve food.

Using caravan generators safely

If you want to run your caravan from a generator, get your electrician to make a special lead that couples to the 16 amp inlet socket. To avoid overloading the generator, make sure that the generator has a cut-out switch that is limited to the maximum output of the generator.

Most appliances are rated in watts, but some are rated in amperes. To find the wattage of an appliance, multiply the amperes by 230 volts (watts = amps x volts). For example, an appliance rated at 7.5 amps has a power rating of 1725 watts. In this case, the generator needs a rating greater than this value.

Electric motors

Electric motors require about 2.5 to 6 times normal running current to start. Therefore, a 1000 watt motor, with assumed input of 1200 watts, will take 5.22 amperes normal running. To start the motor, the generator may need to provide anything from 13 to 32 amps. If the starting current is too high for the generator, it will stall. In this example, a generator of about 7.5 kW would be required just to start the motor.

Once running, the generator output drops back and additional loads can then be added.

The label on the name plate of a motor lists the output power in watts. To correctly match the generator's output, an allowance must be made for losses within the motor. As a rule, add about 20% to the motor rating to allow for losses.

Using stand-by generators safely

A standby generator is designed to provide large amounts of power and can be connected to supply the entire installation. Standby generators are installed either as fixed units or portable generators can also be used connected by flexible cable to a special inlet plug permanently installed by a licensed electrician. These installations have either an automatic or manual change-over switch that switches the incoming mains and couples the generator safely and independently to the installation wiring.

Important requirements

• Connected loads must not exceed the maximum rating of the generator. To limit the load to the maximum load rating of the generator, the installation wiring is split into essential and non-essential sections so that only the essential loads are supplied by the generator
• Mains change over systems and portable generator connections to installation wiring must be installed by a certified electrician and comply with the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 3000 Wiring Rules (Electricity generation Systems) available from Standards New Zealand. If you plan to install a standby generator system first talk to your electrician
• Generator connections must be on the installation side of the energy meter - otherwise you will be billed for using your own power
• Generators designed to start automatically and connect to the installation should be test-run on load at periodic intervals - usually once a week
• Some units have special test switches for this testing, but the best way to ensure that the generator will start and change over when the mains fails is to turn off the building main switch
• We recommend that you ensure the generator is regularly serviced by a company that specialises in that type of work.

Farming safely

By following some simple rules you can ensure that you and those working on farmland don't become one of the statistics.

Watch that line

• keep four metres away from any lines - equipment does not actually need to touch the lines, as electricity can 'arc' over in a high voltage system
• treat every electric wire as a 'hot' wire

 

Working off trucks

• park away from overhead lines; and work as much as possible away from the lines and poles
• keep clear of power lines when working on the upper levels of stock trucks or on high loads
• don't load or unload metal irrigation pipes close to power lines

 

Moving equipment around lines

• When moving tall machinery, choose the route where power lines are high enough to give adequate clearance
• always have lifting equipment in a lowered position before moving it under electrical lines
• make sure you know where the power lines are when moving vehicles with raised apparatus such as grain augers, ladders, drills and dump truck beds

 

Fencing

• do not erect fence wire along the same path as overhead powerlines, or strain wire where it could contact lines.  A broken wire flicking upwards can come into contact with nearby power lines

 

Irrigation equipment

• Keep jet irrigators and the booms of rotary irrigators clear of all power lines
• make sure the tips of rotary irrigators are kept four metres from power lines when operating and moving down a padock, and when being shifted along bumpy roads or across bumpy paddocks  

 

Working with power tools

• when working with power tools, use a safety switch (RCD) which can trip the power before any harm occur

 

Working near power poles

• take care working around the guide wires on electrical poles - bumping these wires can cause the lines to sag

 

If power lines are down

• downed power lines are extremely dangerous; if you see lines down, call us immediately and make sure people and stock keep well away
• if power lines hit your vehicle while you are in it, stay still until help arrives
• if you must get out of the vehicle, do so without touching metal and ground at the same time.  Jump as far as you can

Appliance safety

Stay clear of live wires. Make sure cords on appliances are not frayed or damaged, and plugs are not loose or broken.

Don't overload power points or multi-boards. Too many plugs in a single power point can cause a fire.

Always pull the plug, not the cord.

Don't use a utensil to get toast out of the toaster. Unplug the toaster, let it cool down, then remove the toast.

Extension cords

Make sure the cord is not frayed or cracked and is fully unrolled. A rolled up extension cord could heat up when the power is on, causing the insulation to melt and possibly catch fire.

Keep cords out of traffic areas where people could trip over them.

Never nail or staple cords to the wall, baseboard or to any other object. In the process, you could pierce the cord and be seriously injured.

Do not run cords under carpets or rugs or rest any furniture on them.

If you are planning to use an extension cord long term, it will be safer to get an electrician to wire a new power point in for you near the appliance you are using.

Electric blankets

Always have your electric blankets checked annually before using them. The fabric of a blanket can become worn and thin after regular use and while, it may function normally, the blanket could overheat. You can get your blankets tested by a registered electrician or service centre.

The Heater-Metre Rule

Keep all furniture, clothes and curtains at least one metre away from heaters and fire places.

Baby safe

Put childproof safety caps over power points when there are children, toddlers and babies around, although modern, shuttered-type power points should be safe. If you are in doubt, get a registered electrician to check for you.

Around the bath

To prevent electric shock in the bath, use battery power for the radio or CD player instead of electricity. Keep hairdryers well away from water. There are strict regulations regarding the installation of appliances in bathrooms - always use a registered electrician.

Use an RCD

When using power tools, always use a Residual Current Device (RCD), or an isolating transformer. Connect the RCD as close as possible to the power point.

In an electrical fire

Never use water to extinguish an electrical fire. Electricity can be conducted through the water to the person attempting to extinguish the fire which may result in serious shock. Use a multipurpose fire extinguisher designed for electrical fires, wood/paper fires, and flammable liquids. Call 111.

An electric shock

In the event of an electrical shock, don't touch the victim until you are certain the source of electricity is turned off. Unplug the appliance or turn off power at the main switch. Call 111.  

Disconnect the power

When painting or water blasting the house, or doing work around the roof, you could come into contact with the power lines where they enter your house. These lines are not safe to touch. If you slip, reach out accidentally, or hit the lines with water from the water blaster or hose you could receive a serious shock. Remove the risk. Call EA Networks before you start on (03) 307 9800 to arrange a time for a temporary power disconnection. A nominal fee will apply.

Use a portable generator or arrange with a neighbour to plug into their supply to complete your work. A service team will arrange to reconnect your supply once you have finished working in that area.

Check before you dig

Before you landscape, dig out a pool, or do other major digging in the garden, use our cable location service to avoid digging into underground lines or gas pipes. It will take two working days to process your request, so plan ahead to avoid the risk. Don't put your property, life or the lives of others at risk. Always get service reference maps or have your services located before you start digging - they might not be where you think they are.

Call EA Networks before you dig.

Please be aware that a charge will apply for locating your privately owned service lines. Assistance will be provided free of charge for location of EA Networks owned network lines.

Working near power poles

If you plan to excavate within five metres of one of our power poles, by law you must have a Close Approach Consent form (link). Depending on the depth of excavations, you may need additional pole supports to prevent poles collapsing. For your protection, contact EA Networks before you start any work.

Ladders, poles and masts

Always look up before extending ladders, boat masts, poles or pipes, or using a forklift or other high apparatus. If you don't, you could hit overhead power lines, causing serious injury and even death.

Check aerial clearance

Before installing a clothesline, TV antenna or other high structure, check for clearance of overhead power lines.

Use a professional

Always use a registered electrical worker with a current practicing licence for all electrical repairs and ask for a certificate of compliance after the work is complete.

Use an RCD

When using power tools indoors, or any appliance outdoors, always use a Residual Current Device (RCD), or an isolating transformer. Connect the RCD as close as possible to the power point.

Items on lines

If you tangle an item on a power line, call EA Networks to have a service team come and remove it. Never try to remove an object from a power line yourself.

If you hit a cable

If you damage an electrical cable, contact us immediately. Call (03) 307 9800 to report the damage, treat the cable as live and keep all people well away from the area. Never cover a damaged cable and do not try to correct the situation - call EA Networks immediately.

In an electrical fire

Never use water to extinguish an electrical fire. Electricity can be conducted through the water to the person attempting to extinguish the fire which may result in serious shock. Use a multipurpose fire extinguisher designed for electrical fires, wood/paper fires, and flammable liquids. Call 111.

An electric shock

In the event of an electrical shock, don't touch the victim until you are certain the source of electricity is turned off. Unplug the appliance or turn off power at the main switch. Call 111.