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• 1. Introduction
• 2. The Electrical Safety Act 2002
• 3. The Electrical Safety Regulation 2002
• 4. Risk management
• 5. Operating cranes and plant near overhead electric lines
  • 5.1 Scope
  • 5.2 Regulation requirement on exclusion zone for electric lines
  • 5.3 Exclusion zone
  • 5.4 Risk management process for a crane working near electric lines
  • 5.5 Working in the safety observer zone
• 6. Work near low voltage overhead electric lines
  • 6.1 Scope
  • 6.2 The no-touch and exclusion zones
  • 6.3 Hazard identification
  • 6.4 Risk assessment
  • 6.5 Examining the low voltage overhead line for visual defects
  • 6.6 Deciding on control measures
• 7. Clearing vegetation near overhead electric lines
• 8. Agricultural work near overhead electric lines
  • 8.1 Scope
  • 8.2 Regulation on exclusion zones
  • 8.3 Hazard identification
  • 8.4 Risk assessment
  • 8.5 Deciding on control measures
  • 8.6 Particular circumstances
• 9. Transportation of high loads near electric lines
  • 9.1 Scope
  • 9.2 Meaning of terms
  • 9.3 What is a high load?
  • 9.4 Legislative requirements
  • 9.5 Travel requirements
  • 9.6 Responsibilities
• 10. Repair of electrical equipment
• 11. Work near electrical hazards in buildings and near underground electrical cables
• Appendix A - Meaning of terms used in this code
• Appendix B - Exclusion zones in millimetres

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7. Clearing vegetation near overhead electric lines

7.1 Scope
7.2 Exclusion zones
7.3 Requirements for untrained persons
7.4 Hazard identification
7.5 Control measures

7.1 Scope

This code applies to untrained persons, cutting and trimming or treating with chemicals or other processes, trees and other foliage near overhead electric lines where:

• the person or something the person is holding or is in contact with, could come within the safe approach distances of exposed live parts; or
• the work creates risk of damage to electric lines or apparatus.
  Untrained person, for the electrical part means a person who is not an authorised person or an instructed person for the electrical part.
  Examples of untrained persons performing vegetation management
• near electric lines include:
• A house holder trimming a tree on his or her property in a location;
• A local government work crew (other than those who are authorised persons for clearing of vegetation around electric lines) performing vegetation clearing or planting or vegetation treatment;
• A building or road construction contractor performing vegetation clearing or trimming work; or
• A person picking fruit from trees.

7.2 Exclusion zones

Exclusion zones from any live electric line are set out in the Electrical Safety Regulation 2002 (PDF, 1 MB). Refer to Appendix B of this code for details of exclusion zones. A person must not work in situations where:

• any part of a crane or plant being operated; or
• any hand tools or other equipment or load held by any person involved with the operation is at or within the safe approach distances from the electric line.

7.3 Requirements for untrained persons

A person should not, at any time, allow any part of their body or anything they are holding or that is attached to their body, or anything they are using, to come within the exclusion zones.

A person should not undertake tree trimming or vegetation management where any part of the tree or vegetation to be treated or cut or otherwise worked with is within the exclusion zones.

A person should not undertake tree trimming or vegetation management where any part of the tree or vegetation could fall or otherwise be carried within the safe approach distances.

7.4 Hazard Identification

Before carrying out any vegetation management work, a person should identify potential hazards of the task. Hazards to be considered include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Proximity of vegetation and proposed work activity to electric lines, for example:
• The vegetation involved is located within exclusion zones.
• The vegetation or part of the vegetation may fall or otherwise be carried into the area within exclusion zones.
• Carrying out the task would cause a person or anything a person may be holding, or in contact with, to intrude into exclusion zones.
• Wind causing intermittent encroachment of vegetation into the exclusion zone or wet weather making the situation more dangerous

Operational characteristics of equipment eg length of boom and speed of movement of an elevating work platform (EWP). Some examples of operational characteristics that may present a hazard are:

• Knuckle boom EWPs where convenient placement of the basket can have part of the boom intruding into roadways or other hazardous areas;
• Cutting equipment such as chain saws, which may "kick back", causing equipment to move inadvertently; or
• Site conditions such as weather (wind), terrain, vehicular and other traffic. For example, heavy traffic on an adjacent roadway could prevent safe access to vegetation.

7.5 Control measures

Control measures may include, but are not limited to:

• Electrically isolating lines and apparatus. This would require consultation with the owner of the line.
• Having the work performed under a different regime, eg if the line is the property of an electricity distributor, having the distributor undertake the work.
• Using equipment designed for the particular risks.
• Staying outside exclusion zones. Operations should cease where trees or persons are in danger of coming within exclusion zones.
• Controlling the traffic.

Last updated July 16, 2009

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