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Safety Tips

Outside Safety

Take special care near power lines

Don't come close to or touch power lines yourself or with equipment. Even touching the equipment that contacts a line could be tragically harmful.

• Be careful if you're installing an antenna; get someone to help you. Touching or even going near a hydro wire with a ladder or antenna could cause serious injury or death. Antennas should be installed well away from power lines; the distance should equal at least the height of the antenna plus 3 metres
• When planting trees or shrubs that will grow tall, make sure they won't grow up into power lines. If you do have a tree growing into a Hydro One line, please contact us. We will assess the need to trim or cut the tree. If they are private lines, please contact the owner. Do not attempt to prune or chop down a tree near lines yourself; a tree falling onto a power line could cause serious injury or death
• When sailing, always look up to make sure there are no power lines in your path. Contact between them and your mast could be fatal
• When installing a swimming pool, look up! If electrical wires are located within 3m of the edge of the pool (measured horizontally), there must be 4.5m of vertical clearance between the wires and the highest point of the pool area. This includes diving boards, slides and decks
• Remember, many power lines are underground. To cut through one is extremely dangerous and could even black out an entire area. If you're gardening, landscaping, fencing or doing major excavations, let us know before you dig, and we will send in a service representative to mark the cable on your property. (To request this service online, go to the Self Service area and select "Underground cable locate.")
  

Stay clear of fallen wires

• If you do spot a fallen wire, keep at least 10m away, even if it doesn't appear to be live. Report it to the police and Hydro One Networks
• If a wire falls across your car while you're in it, don't get out. Wait for a Hydro One crew to come and safely remove it. Remember, both the car and the ground around it may be electrified