Power line safety
Power Line Safety & Emergencies
Power lines carry enough electricity to seriously injure or kill. Knowing how to work and play safely around them, and what to do in an emergency, can save a life.
Downed power line?
Stay at least 35 feet away
Assume every downed line is energized, even if it is not sparking. Keep people and pets away.
Call 911, then McKenzie Electric at 701-444-9288 or 800-584-9239 after hours.
Look up
Around Overhead Lines
Overhead lines are not insulated for contact. Anything that touches them, including ladders, tools, tree branches and even a person, can become a path for electricity.
- Locate overhead lines before any project and point them out to everyone helping.
- Keep yourself, ladders, tools and equipment at least 10 feet away from overhead lines.
- Carry ladders and long tools horizontally, never upright.
- Never trim trees that are near power lines. Call McKenzie Electric instead.
- Fly kites, drones and model airplanes only in open areas away from lines and substations.
- Never climb utility poles or towers, and never attach signs, hoops, deer stands or antennas to poles.
Emergency
Downed power lines
A downed line can energize the ground, water, fences and anything it touches. You cannot tell if a line is live just by looking at it.
- Stay at least 35 feet away and keep others, including pets, away.
- Call 911, then McKenzie Electric at 701-444-9288 or 800-584-9239 after hours.
- Do not touch anything in contact with the line, such as a fence, vehicle, tree or puddle.
- Never try to move a line with a stick, pole or any other object.
- If you are close to a line, shuffle away with small steps, keeping your feet together and on the ground.
On the road
If Your Vehicle Hits a Pole or Contacts a Line
Your vehicle is usually the safest place to be. Stepping out can make you the path for electricity to reach the ground.
What to do
- Stay inside and call 911.
- Warn others to stay back, including people trying to help.
- Wait until McKenzie Electric crews say it is safe to get out.
- If there is a fire, jump clear with your feet together without touching the vehicle and ground at the same time. Shuffle away with both feet on the ground.
Electrical equipment
Transformers, Meters and Substations
Pad-mounted transformers
The green metal boxes on concrete pads serve underground lines. Never open, climb on or play on them. Keep the area around them clear so crews can reach them, and report any box that is damaged or open.
Electric meters
Never tamper with or remove your meter. Meter tampering is dangerous and illegal. If your meter or meter base looks damaged, call us.
Substations
Never enter a substation or reach through the fence for any reason. If a ball, pet or toy ends up inside, call McKenzie Electric and we will retrieve it safely.
Underground lines
Call 811 before you dig
Fence posts, trees, gardens and trenches can all hit buried lines. Contact 811 at least 48 hours before you dig so lines can be marked. It is free and required by North Dakota law.
See something?
Report a hazard
Call McKenzie Electric right away if you see:
- Low, sagging or damaged lines
- Leaning or damaged poles
- Trees or branches touching lines
- Damaged, open or unlocked electrical equipment
Report outages, downed lines or hazards
Call McKenzie Electric Cooperative. Crews are on call 24/7.