A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that no person, plant or thing comes within the exclusion zone of an overhead electric line (section 13, Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld)). For plant run by an untrained operator near a bare line up to 33 kV, that zone is 3 m.
This guide covers overhead lines only. For buried cables, see Dial Before You Dig in Queensland.
Who has the duty near overhead power lines?
Electrical safety in Queensland sits mainly under the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld) and the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld). Section 30 of the Electrical Safety Act puts the primary duty on a PCBU to conduct its business or undertaking in a way that is electrically safe. Section 4(2) of schedule 1 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) says the WHS Act does not apply to the extent the Electrical Safety Act applies.
The specific duties for overhead lines are in the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld):
- Section 13(1): a PCBU at a workplace must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that no person, plant or thing at the workplace comes within an unsafe distance of an overhead electric line.
- Section 13(2): if it is not reasonably practicable to ensure that safe distance, the PCBU must ensure a risk assessment is done for the proposed work, and that the control measures are consistent with the risk assessment and with any requirements of the electricity entity responsible for the line.
Construction work carried out on or near energised electrical installations or services is also high risk construction work under section 291(k) of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld), which needs a safe work method statement under section 299. See high risk construction work.
What is an exclusion zone?
An exclusion zone is a set distance from an overhead line, stated in schedule 2 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld). Under sections 10 and 11, a person, operating plant or vehicle that comes within the distance stated for it is within an unsafe distance. Section 11 adds that:
- a person includes their clothing and any conductive object they are handling;
- operating plant includes anything it is handling, such as a load (but not a person or a hand-held object a person is handling); and
- a vehicle includes anything it is carrying or handling.
The approved code says exclusion zones extend in all directions, not just sideways, and that the distance depends on the voltage, whether the line is insulated or bare, and the competence and authorisation of the person doing the work.
What are the Queensland exclusion zone distances?
Schedule 2 has separate tables for bare and insulated lines, AC and DC, and for untrained, authorised and instructed persons. The table below shows only one case: untrained persons, bare (uninsulated) AC lines, copied from schedule 2, part 2, division 1 (voltages up to 132 kV). “Untrained” means anyone who is not an authorised or instructed person for that line.
| Nominal phase to phase voltage of the bare line | Person | Operating plant operated by the person | Vehicle operated by the person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low voltage, with consultation with the person in control of the line | 1,000 mm | 3,000 mm | 600 mm |
| Low voltage, without consultation | 3,000 mm | 3,000 mm | 600 mm |
| Above low voltage up to 33 kV, with consultation | 2,000 mm | 3,000 mm | 900 mm |
| Above low voltage up to 33 kV, without consultation | 3,000 mm | 3,000 mm | 900 mm |
| Above 33 kV up to 132 kV | 3,000 mm | 3,000 mm | 2,100 mm |
Low voltage, in the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld) dictionary, means voltage above extra low voltage but not more than 1,000 V AC or 1,500 V ripple-free DC.
Higher voltages, DC lines, insulated lines and authorised or instructed persons have different figures, so read schedule 2 for your situation. An authorised person has enough technical knowledge and experience and is approved by the person in control of the line (or authorised to act for them); an instructed person works under an authorised person’s supervision. If plant is operated by either of them without a safety observer or another safe system, schedule 2 treats it as operated by an untrained person.
A note on the code’s tables. The approved code repeats the zones in its Appendix B, but it was written for an earlier Regulation and cites that Regulation’s section numbers, not the ones used in this guide. We compared the Appendix B figures with schedule 2 of the current Regulation and found no difference, but the Regulation is the legal source. Section 44(8) of the Electrical Safety Act says that if a code is inconsistent with a regulation, the regulation prevails, so use schedule 2 for distances.
What does the approved code of practice say to do?
The approved code is the Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines, made under section 44 of the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld). Under section 45, a court can admit it as evidence of whether a duty was complied with and rely on it in deciding what is reasonably practicable; a different method that gives an equivalent or higher standard of electrical safety can also be shown. Before work starts, it recommends these steps (“should” marks its recommended course):
- Find the lines. Inspect the site for energised overhead lines and their poles, towers and stay wires, and check the voltage of each line.
- Treat every line as live until it is proven de-energised, isolated so it cannot be re-energised and, if high voltage, effectively earthed. The code recommends written confirmation from the person in control of the line.
- Ask about switching off or moving the line first. The code ranks de-energising, isolating or re-routing the line as the most effective controls and says to arrange it with the electricity entity early, because it can take time.
- Do a written risk assessment and keep it. Section 13(2) requires an assessment when a safe distance cannot be ensured. The code lists voltage, sway and sag, wind, ground that could move under the plant, and the size and securing of the load.
- Choose controls from the top of the hierarchy. Examples in the code are plant that cannot reach the zone, non-conductive physical barriers, mechanical stops or zone-limiting devices, and then proximity sensors with warning devices and warning signs. PPE is last.
- Make low voltage lines visible. The code describes visual indicators such as tiger tails, arranged with the electricity entity, and notes they do not insulate the wire.
The free Risk Assessment Template is a starting point for the written assessment, and the Electrical Safety Policy & Procedure Template can help you set out how your business handles this work. Adapt both to your own site and the actual lines.
Do you need a spotter?
The code calls a spotter a safety observer: a person who watches operating plant and warns the operator if it is likely to come within the exclusion zone. It describes two situations:
- Safety observer zone: where any part of the plant, a person on an elevating work platform, a hand tool or the load could enter the exclusion zone. The code says a safety observer should be used and that entering the zone is strictly forbidden.
- Authorisation zone: where plant is operated by an authorised or instructed person. The code says a safety observer or another safe system of work that prevents contact with the line must be used.
The code says the safety observer should be appointed by the PCBU, be trained, communicate with the operator at all times, have authority to stop the operation, not do other work or watch more than one machine, and mark the edge of the zone with markers such as red tape. They should not be in the work basket of an elevating work platform, except where rail mounted platforms are used for work on rail traction electrical apparatus. See how to use a spotter effectively.
Which jobs does this affect?
The code has chapters on operating plant, low voltage lines near buildings, vegetation, farm work and high loads, with case studies of a mobile crane, a mobile scaffold and a tip truck contacting live lines.
For cranes and other plant, see zoning systems for tower cranes near powerlines. The Franna Crane SWMS, the Excavator SWMS and our crane templates are starting points to adapt to your plant and site.
What if plant touches a power line?
The code does not set out a step-by-step response to a line strike, so we do not either. It does say to plan ahead: an emergency plan covering contact with energised lines, written down with input from the workers doing the tasks, with rescue procedures followed if contact happens. It also says to have emergency equipment on site, including fire-fighting equipment suitable for electrical fires, and to train workers in emergency procedures and first aid for electric shock. As common practice, not a requirement the code states, also ask the electricity entity for the line for its advice when you write the plan. For general plan content, see emergency plan requirements in Queensland.
Who do you notify after an electrical incident?
Section 292 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld) requires a PCBU to ensure the regulator is notified immediately after becoming aware that a serious electrical incident or dangerous electrical event arising out of the business has happened. Notice must be given by the fastest possible means, by telephone or in writing. A person who gives notice by telephone must also give a written notice within 48 hours after the regulator requires one. The PCBU must keep a record for at least 5 years after the day notice is given. In practice, electrical incidents are notified to the Electrical Safety Office, the electrical safety regulator.
- A serious electrical incident (section 11 of the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)) is an incident involving electrical equipment where a person is killed by electricity, receives a shock or injury treated by or under the supervision of a doctor, or receives a shock or injury at high voltage whether or not treated.
- A dangerous electrical event (section 12) includes an event involving electrical equipment where significant property damage is caused directly by electricity or originates from it.
For these events, section 292 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld) is the notification duty to read; section 4(2) of schedule 1 of the WHS Act says that Act does not apply to the extent the Electrical Safety Act applies. For other incidents, see notifiable incidents in Queensland, and 9 steps to prevent electrical injuries for wider electrical hazards.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current law or talk to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland for your situation.
Templates for this job
Ready-to-edit Word and Excel templates for Queensland workplaces.
