Consult with us
Submit a General or safety advice application through our Connections Portal.
We provide advice to the building industry, councils or any other organisation or individuals working near our overhead or underground network.
Working near infrastructure
Working near electricity can be fatal if appropriate safety control measures are not applied.
If you’re working near electricity, you need to plan ahead. Each year, serious injuries or fatalities occur in New South Wales as a result of equipment and machinery hitting powerlines.
You don’t have to make contact with a powerline for it to be fatal. Electricity can jump if equipment or machinery gets too close to powerlines.
Without the right precautions, not only do you risk electrocution, but you could damage the power network, resulting in outages and financial liability.
It is critical that safe distances are maintained from live electricity. If you are undertaking any work, you need to know the relevant guidelines to ensure your safety and the safety of those around you.
Pre-planning
Take these steps to identify the location of electricity infrastructure on worksites and help keep your workers and contractors safe.
Submit a Before you Dig referral
Submitting a Before You Dig referral allows for all known underground asset plans to be provided to you at no cost. It is important to ensure all plans and our cover letter is reviewed and understood in the pre-planning stage.
To determine if there are underground assets, always contact Before You Dig before breaking earth.
Look up and Live
Make sure you review Endeavour Energy’s Overhead Electricity Network Information, by accessing detailed overhead asset data, including:
- Interactive Map – View the location and imagery of overhead powerlines.
- Safety Guidelines – Learn about powerline exclusion zones, permit requirements, and essential safety advice.
Safe commencement of work
Prior to commencing work or moving mobile plant, it is critical to plan your movements and understand where existing utility infrastructure is located such as undergound cables and overhead powerlines
Verify all Before You Dig plans before starting excavation work. Consider using cable location technologies, potholing and non-destructive digging techniques
Develop site plans identifying the location of electrical infrastructure and effectively communicate these plans to staff
Simple controls can be employed such as spray paint to mark out the location of assets, or guide vehicle and plant movement. High visibility bunting can be erected to highlight the presence of overhead powerlines and electrical infrastructure (provided they can be installed without compromising safe approach distances and have no physical installation on our assets)
Designate and mark out travel paths around the site away from overhead powerlines for moving ladders or long objects, operating tip trucks, elevated platforms, drilling or excavating machinery, backhoes etc.
Designate and mark out travel paths around the site away from overhead powerlines for moving ladders or long objects, operating tip trucks, elevated platforms, drilling or excavating machinery, backhoes etc.
Use range-limiting devices on excavators and cranes to maintain clearances from powerlines
Avoid contact with the point of attachment (where the power comes into a building). If you cannot maintain the required clearances, contact us to arrange for a power outage
Assign a dedicated observer to monitor and ensure safe clearances are maintained between operating machinery and powerlines
Prior to commencing work or moving mobile plant, it is critical to plan your movements and understand where existing utility infrastructure is located such as undergound cables and overhead powerlines
Verify all Before You Dig plans before starting excavation work. Consider using cable location technologies, potholing and non-destructive digging techniques
Develop site plans identifying the location of electrical infrastructure and effectively communicate these plans to staff
Simple controls can be employed such as spray paint to mark out the location of assets, or guide vehicle and plant movement. High visibility bunting can be erected to highlight the presence of overhead powerlines and electrical infrastructure (provided they can be installed without compromising safe approach distances and have no physical installation on our assets)
Designate and mark out travel paths around the site away from overhead powerlines for moving ladders or long objects, operating tip trucks, elevated platforms, drilling or excavating machinery, backhoes etc.
Designate and mark out travel paths around the site away from overhead powerlines for moving ladders or long objects, operating tip trucks, elevated platforms, drilling or excavating machinery, backhoes etc.
Use range-limiting devices on excavators and cranes to maintain clearances from powerlines
Avoid contact with the point of attachment (where the power comes into a building). If you cannot maintain the required clearances, contact us to arrange for a power outage
Assign a dedicated observer to monitor and ensure safe clearances are maintained between operating machinery and powerlines
Report any exposed cables and damage to powerlines to us on 131 003.
Going underground
Even where there are overhead powerlines there can be underground cables too. Cable depths can vary greatly. Don’t assume cable depths are consistent as tree roots, water, soil subsidence and human interaction can all cause changes over time.
Excavation around street lighting, padmount substations (large, usually green boxes) or pillar boxes (small, usually green or cream boxes) cannot commence without receiving safety clearance.
Need more information?
More information about safe work practices and safety clearances from overhead powerlines and underground cables is available in the Safe Work Australia and Work Cover NSW Codes of Practice as well as the PDFs below.
Electrical hazard awareness
We have developed a range of brochures and other collateral to help keep you safe on the job. Click on the links to download them in PDF format.
You can also visit the Safe Work Australia website, to download Codes of Practice that offer practical advice, guidance and preventative strategies to help mitigate and manage workplace risks to health and safety:
Asset support
These construction work support services ensure that work activities, like excavations near our assets, can be completed safely.
Are you qualified to do electrical work?
Performing your own electrical work without proper qualifications is unwise, illegal and could cause serious injury or death.
All electrical wiring work, including the connection and technical maintenance of fixed appliances, must be carried out by a licensed electrical contractor. Naturally, you should always follow a manufacturer's electrical directions for using and maintaining appliances.
You can find more information on electrical "do’s and don’ts" on the Fair Trading NSW website.
Information for ASPs and contractors
Accreditation
If you will be undertaking customer-funded contestable works on the network, your employer must be accredited by the NSW Department of Industry under the NSW Accredited Service Provider Scheme.
Authorisations
All workers operating on or near the electricity network, whether they be Endeavour Energy staff, Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) or contractors, must be authorised for the task they are performing.
For information on how to become authorised, please contact our Authorisations team.
Become authorised
To become authorised to work on or near Endeavour Energy’s network, you will need to attend training related to your role. You will need to submit evidence of your qualifications and training to the Authorisations team, along with certification from your employer that you are competent to carry out the tasks you will be authorised to perform. Once received by the authorisations team, you will be sent confirmation from “Breakon” showing your authorisation to work on or near the network.
To be authorised to work on Endeavour Energy’s network, you must be either;
- Directly employed by Endeavour Energy, or
- Employed by a company under contract to Endeavour Energy to carry out work, or
- Employed by a company accredited to carry out contestable works under the NSW Accredited Service Provider scheme.
