Safety

Electricity always tries to make contact with the ground. It is silent and can be fatal. It may be conducted through metal, water, trees and even people. To avoid serious accidents or death, always stay alert.

• Never touch downed power lines. Consider lines on the ground energized and dangerous.
• Never throw anything at wires, insulators, transformers or equipment.
• Always look for electrical lines that may interfere with your work. In Oregon and Idaho, the Overhead Line Safety Acts require a 10-foot clearance be maintained at all times.
• Check for overhead power lines before lifting irrigation pipes or clearing debris. Metal and wet objects conduct electricity.
• Never stack hay bales or other items under overhead power lines.
• Do not spray water on power lines or equipment.
• Do not take risks. Carefully watch what you are doing.
• Keep farm machinery and other large objects away from power lines, poles and guy wires (the support cables for power poles).
• If you strike a guy wire or pole, call Idaho Power or local law enforcement immediately.
• To report downed power lines, call Idaho Power or local law enforcement. Only qualified electric utility workers should handle power lines.

Even with proper planning, work operations may need to be conducted near high-voltage lines. If you must operate within 10 feet of a line, you are required by law to consult with Idaho Power about proper safety precautions before starting work. The lines can be de-energized, grounded or other protective measures can be taken. For more information, refer to Idaho and Oregon’s Overhead Line Safety laws:

• Idaho’s Overhead Line Safety Act (PDF, 469 KB)
• Oregon’s Overhead Line Safety Act (PDF, 435 KB)

Power lines are safe for people to live and work around. However, there are a few safety issues to be aware of:

• Line breaking – This can happen at any voltage level but is very infrequent and generally occurs when a vehicle collides with a power pole. Safety devices, such as circuit breakers, detect such an event and disconnect power. If protective devices fail, the live power line can pose a serious risk of injury or death if someone contacts it. Always stay away from a downed power line and call the local utility company immediately.
• Fires caused by malfunctions or animal contact with power lines – Infrequently, a device fails on a power pole and causes it to burn, resulting in a fire. More frequently, a small animal or bird contacts the power line causing a brush or forest fire.
• Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) – Wherever electricity is used, EMFs are present.
  
  
  • Health - Since the early 1970s, research has been performed to determine if EMFs pose health risks. Idaho Power agrees with the overwhelming body of research that shows EMFs are not detrimental to human or animal health.
  • Interference – Modern line design has minimized problems that caused noise or interference in the past. Occasionally, interference is caused by older lines when a piece of equipment is not operating correctly. When a problem does occur, Idaho Power has the equipment and trained personnel to address these issues as required by the FCC.
  • GPS interference – According to a study by the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE), power line conductors are unlikely to cause signal degradation to GPS signals. The study noted no loss of satellite signals as the GPS receiver moved across a power line easement. A GPS receiver relies on a dispersed constellation of satellites – at least four and often more.
  • Use of Global Positioning System (GPS) Receivers Under Power-Line Conductors, IEEE Transactions On Power Delivery, Vol. 17, No. 4, October 2002.
  • Pivot-irrigation systems - The IEEE conducted a study to determine if EMFs of high voltage transmission lines can interfere with electromagnetically guided cornering systems associated with some center pivot-irrigation units. It was found that 60 hertz magnetic fields of more than approximately 500 mG (Milligauss) are required to cause interference with the operation of one system, which is significantly higher than those found near most high voltage transmission lines.
  • Electromagnetic Compatibility of High Voltage Transmission Lines and the Guidance of Center Pivot-Irrigation Units With Cornering Systems, IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 13, No. 4, October 1998.
• Stray voltage – Stray voltage is different than EMF. Stray voltage develops on the grounded neutral system of a farm wiring or utility distribution system. If an animal touches metal equipment under the right conditions, the voltage on the grounded neutral system will cause a small current to flow through the animal into the ground. Stray voltage may be caused by damaged or improper wiring on the farm or a nearby farm, or on Idaho Power’s electricity lines. Under normal conditions, the voltage is too weak to generate any physical or behavioral changes in the animal.

For more information about these safety issues visit:

• California Department of Health Sciences' EMF Program
• Electric and Magnetic Fields Associated with the Use of Electric Power: Questions and Answers (PDF, 11.4 MB) by the National Institute for Environmental Health Safety and the National Institutes of Health, June 2002. (View low resolution version, PDF, 493 KB)
• Idaho Power's EMF information
• National Cancer Institute Magnetic Field Exposure and Cancer: Questions and Answers
• National Institute of Health’s EMF page
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' EMF Rapid Program
• World Health Organization’s EMF page

This Web site is the joint Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project site. Information contained on this site is approved for posting by Idaho Power. Visit the Idaho Power Web site.