This construction safety talk discusses the dangers of crane booms contacting power lines. It provides three examples of past accidents where contact with overhead power lines resulted in injury or death. It notes that operators are usually unharmed, but others on the ground are at high risk of electric shock. The talk recommends keeping booms away from power lines by at least 10 feet as required by OSHA. It also includes discussion questions to engage the crew on safety procedures regarding power lines.

1. Construction Safety Talks
Watch The Some Things To Know Before You Give Your Talk.
Wires
(Crane Booms
And Power
Lines)
As a supervisor, you should be aware that contact between crane
No. 35 booms and power lines cause more deaths each year than any
other type of electrical accident in the construction industry.
Talk to your crew about the typical kinds of accidents that have
happened.
How This Talk
Applies To My
Crew: • An ironworker had hooked onto a bundle of rebar stored
under a power line and was guiding the load when the
boom hit the line.
• A pile driving foreman was walking backwards pulling the
hook when the load line contacted an overhead power line.
• An oiler was leaning against the side of the crane when the
boom hit a power line causing the current to go to ground
through this body.
Notice that each of these accidents resulted in injury or death to
someone other than the operator. In fact, operators are usually
safe when a contact is made. They are often able to protect
themselves either by swinging the boom free of the line or staying
in the crane.
It is the person on the ground who gets the electric shock. Both the
worker on the ground and the operator should realize that it is
difficult for the operator to be sure of the exact location of the
boom tip.
Operators don't have good distance judgment looking up along the
boom, and are usually very busy watching the load. The lower the
boom, the greater the angle between the boom and load line thus
making it even more difficult to determine the distance from the
power line to the boom and/or load line.
© 2003 Liberty Mutual Group – All Rights Reserved 1

2. Presence sensors, boom cages, and other protective devices may help prevent power
line contacts but all have shortcomings. The best control is too keep the boom away
from the lines or have the lines de-energized. OSHA requires de-energizing powerlines
or maintaining at least 10 feet of separation.
Try This For Show And Tell!
Draw a rough sketch of the job and have the crew fill in or mark all the overhead power
lines. Are the locations well known by everyone?
Questions You Can Use To Get Them Talking:
• Do we have any material stored or work to be done close to a power line on this
job?
• Is anyone here qualified to give artificial respiration if a person is knocked
unconscious by an electric shock?
• Has anyone ever had an accident - or know of one - involving crane booms and
power lines?
• If an operator does contact a power line, what should be the immediate reaction?
(answer = try to swing away)
• If a worker is "frozen" to a power source, how do you break their contact?
(answer = Don't touch them directly, use a dry piece of wood)
Attended By:
The illustrations, instructions and principles contained in the material are general in scope and, to the best of our knowledge, current at
the time of publication. No attempt has been made to interpret any referenced codes, standards or regulations. Please refer to the
appropriate code, standard or regulation making authority for interpretation or clarification.
© 2003 Liberty Mutual Group – All Rights Reserved 2