Ready Rating Resource Guide – Electric Safety
Downed Power Lines
Stay clear of downed lines and report them immediately
Always assume a downed wire is energized and therefore dangerous. Touching a live line or anything near it – such as a fence,
puddle, car, etc. – can cause electricity to be transmitted through your body until it reaches the ground. This usually results in
serious injury and sometimes death.
If you ever come across a downed line, leave the area immediately. An energized line that has fallen across a car, fence, building
or any other object can be dangerous to unsuspecting passersby. You should never touch a person, vehicle, tree, limb or any other
object that is in direct contact with a power line.
If a power line has fallen onto a vehicle, stay away from the vehicle. Seek help immediately by calling 911. If you are in the vehicle,
wait inside the vehicle until help arrives. You are safe from electrical shock as long as you stay inside the vehicle.
If you must leave the vehicle due to fire or other life-threatening reason, leap clear of the vehicle, landing with both feet together.
Don't hold onto the door while leaping, and once on the ground, hop away – do not run.
Electric Safety
Respect the power of electricity
Always assume an overhead line is energized and, therefore, dangerous because even the slightest contact with electricity can
seriously injure or kill.
Always follow these tips when performing chores or activities around electrical equipment. And teach your children to recognize and
respect overhead lines.
Look up to locate all power lines near your home, work or play areas.
Always keep yourself and any tool or equipment you may be using at least 10-feet away from overhead lines.
Don’t trim trees with power lines nearby.
Always carry ladders or poles horizontally, never upright.
Never place a trampoline, pool or playhouse near power lines.
Teach your children to fly kites or toys in fields far away from overhead lines.
Don’t try to rescue a cat on top of a power pole.
Don’t attempt to remove anything that has become tangled with an overhead line.
Weather events also can create hazardous electric conditions by breaking power poles and causing power lines to fall. A downed
line may remain energized; always wait for Xcel Energy’s help to verify whether the line is de-energized and safe.
Never, under any circumstance, touch or move a downed power line.
Lines that have fallen also energize the items they touch, so be careful of downed lines across fences or other equipment,
including cars in which you may be riding. If you are in a car, remain in the vehicle until help arrives.
Year-round Safety Tips
Check out these reminders to act safely and responsibly
Planning to start some projects around your yard? Both overhead and underground utilities can create safety hazards. Xcel Energy
offers these safety tips:
You must call 811 before you dig. Your call reaches your state’s one-call center, which arranges for marking Xcel Energy’s lines
and those of other utilities such as natural gas, telephone, cable television, water and sewer. Before beginning any project that
involves digging or trenching, by law you are required to have utility-owned lines buried in your dig area located by the respective
utility companies. This includes any lines you have previously located. You also need to make arrangements to locate lines not
owned by a utility, such as a line installed by a homeowner.
Wait until your state’s required time before you dig, usually two to three business days. Respect the marks – colored flags, paint
or stakes – and only then dig with extreme care near the marks. Digging without locates can cause property damage, interrupt
services, cause personal injury and even death if you accidentally dig into underground utility lines.
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Ready Rating Resource Guide – Electric Safety
Look up when working outside! Contact with overhead power lines can result in serious injury or even death. Take note of
overhead power line locations. When working with ladders, or transporting equipment, keep yourself, your tools and your equipment
more than 10 feet from overhead power lines. The only safe contact is no contact.
Call Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-4999 to request your pole-to-house line be temporarily disconnected while you or a
professional arborist prunes your trees. For more information, or to obtain a copy of our Plant a Better Future brochure to learn
about tree planting and selection, look on this website or call 1-800-895-4999. Xcel Energy prunes trees near power lines to provide
safe, reliable electric service, while also taking the best possible care of one of your community’s valuable natural resources.
With almost 89,000 miles of power lines in our service area, our goal is to clear branches and limbs away from power lines on a
regular basis so they are less likely to interfere with your electric service. We perform routine maintenance as a proactive approach
to preventing power outages due to trees. We also respond to emergency situations such as storm restoration.
Pole-to-house lines have the least impact on large-scale power outages, so Xcel Energy does not prune for clearance along these
lines, except when hazardous conditions exist. Remember, pole-to-house lines are energized and dangerous. You may hire a
qualified professional tree trimmer to perform this work in some areas.
Stay away when you see a downed or low-hanging power line! Always consider a downed line to be energized, and do not
touch it, either with your hand or anything you may be holding. Do not touch anyone or anything in contact with a downed power
line. If you spot a downed or low-hanging line call your local electric utility’s emergency number immediately. Xcel Energy’s electric
emergency number is 1-800-895-1999.
Watch for power lines near rivers and lakes when boating or fishing. Masts on sailboats conduct electricity and so do fishing
lines. Avoid casting near power lines, and never try to retrieve lures tangled in power lines.
Teach your children to fly kites, model airplanes, balloons or other toys in open areas, far from overhead power lines and
never during storms. If a toy becomes tangled in a power line, abandon it. Do not use wire as kite string or to control a model plane,
and never fly such toys with wet string.
Children should never climb power poles or trees close to power lines or play on or near other electrical equipment such as fenced
electrical yards or metal boxes.
Do not touch or go near electrical equipment. Stay away from anything marked "Danger," "High Voltage" or "Keep Out."
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