Electrical Safety – Farms

Outdoors | Indoors | Workplace | Farms | Emergency Information

Injuries, deaths and property damage caused by electrical hazards on farms and in fields can be avoided. Start with safety awareness and planning. Begin each day with a commitment to ensure the safety of all involved.
Look Up, Look Down and Live!

• Keep your distance from power lines. Each year, farm workers are injured or killed because they accidentally make contact with the high voltage lines that pass overhead. Prevent this by preplanning your job. Visit the area where you plan to use large equipment, stack bales or lay irrigation pipe. Look around for overhead wires and electric poles to plan your job around them. Remember, high voltage power lines are not insulated. Always keep at least 10 feet away from lines with any equipment or personnel.

• Grant PUD provides bilingual “Look Up and Live!” stickers for farm equipment. Contact us at (509) 754-0500 for your supply.

• Power lines also run under the ground. Washington state law requires anyone digging deeper than 12 inches to call the Utility Notification Center two business days before they dig.

Irrigation Electrical Safety

• Electrical hazards are a potential problem with farm irrigation systems. It is important that workers know and follow proper safety precautions to avoid electrical injuries when operating and handling watering systems.

• Make sure the irrigation system wiring is properly grounded. A qualified electrician should check the pump and motor wiring before each irrigation season. Water and metal are ideal electrical conductors. Position irrigation pipes at least 15 feet from power lines and keep water jet streams from spraying onto electrical lines.

• When not in use, store irrigation pipes in an open area away from power lines and other electrical equipment. When assembling or transporting irrigation equipment, keep pipes parallel to ground, and move them horizontally rather than vertically to avoid contact with overhead power lines.

• Install lightning arresters to protect equipment and stay away from machinery during any lightning activity. The pipe pedestals in an open field make perfect lightning receptors. Water-filled pipes can carry an electrical current over long distances.

• Repeated circuit breaker trips or blown fuses during operation could indicate a serious electrical hazard and should be professionally checked and corrected. When servicing equipment, always shut off and lock the master electric control switch.

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