Electrical Safety
Call or Click Before You Dig
Installing a fence or building an addition? Resurfacing your driveway or installing a pool?
Damaging underground services can have profound consequences. A severed electrical cable could be fatal, a ruptured gas line could explode, a cut water line could cause floods, and severed communication lines (telephone, cable, or Internet) could mean the loss of services to you and your neighbours. Additionally, you may be liable for expensive restoration costs and potential legal action.
If you are planning on digging, drilling, blasting, driving stakes or setting fence posts into the ground, Ontario’s provincial law requires that you call or click Ontario One Call before you dig to arrange for a FREE underground cable locate.
Homeowners
Any time you dig on or near your property call Ontario One Call first — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-400-2255, or submit an online request on the Ontario One Call website.
Simply provide the details of your project and Ontario One Call will notify the utilities with underground facilities in your area. If there are any buried cabling or wires on your property, they will be clearly marked before you proceed to dig.
Call at least five (5) working days prior to digging to schedule this service. Additional notice may be required during the busy spring season.
Contractors
As the contractor doing the digging, you are responsible for getting the locate for your jobs. Be sure to leave enough time so that any infrastructure is marked, and you can dig safely. Remember, hitting infrastructure can result in serious damages, injuries, and liability.
Do not take the risk.
Call 1-800-400-2255 to sign up for an account and get free locates!
Deadly powerline contacts may be closer than you think.
Contact with a powerline is a leading cause of electrical-related death in Ontario. Knowing your safe distance can be the difference between life and death.
8 Essential Powerline Safety Tips
- LOCATE POWERLINES
Before you start any yard work or outdoor home maintenance, locate powerlines. Be especially aware of powerlines that may be hidden by trees. - STAY BACK 3 METRES
You do not have to touch a powerline to get a deadly shock. Electricity can jump or “arc” to you or your tools if you get too close. Have someone watch to make sure you stay at least three metres back from powerlines – about the length of a kayak. - CARRY LADDERS SIDEWAYS
Never carry ladders upright as they may come in contact or close to powerlines. Check for overhead powerlines before standing a ladder up. - STAY AWAY FROM DANGEROUS AREAS
Keep away from electrical transmission and distribution lines, and never climb utility poles. If a toy ends up inside a transformer station, call our Operations Team. Do not try to retrieve it yourself. - CALL OR CLICK BEFORE YOU DIG
Powerlines are sometimes buried underground. Before you start construction on a deck, fence or other landscaping project, contact Ontario One Call. Ask to locate all utility-owned underground infrastructure. This includes natural gas, communications and power lines, and water and wastewater pipes. Private underground powerlines such as supply to a pool or separate garage is not located by the utility. - PLANT TREES AWAY FROM OVERHEAD POWERLINES
Avoid the problem now, before trees grow up into the powerlines. If your trees have already grown into the powerlines, contact your local utility or a utility arborist. Do not prune trees around powerlines yourself. More tree pruning and landscaping tips here. - WATCH OUT FOR DOWNED POWERLINES: STAY 10 METRES BACK
If you see a downed powerline, stay back about the length of a school bus (10 metres). Call 9-1-1 and our Operations Team immediately. - TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT POWERLINE SAFETY
Help children find safe places to play, away from utility poles and powerlines. Remind children never to climb trees near powerlines. Make sure they look closely, since leaves and branches can hide the wires. The green boxes on lawns or in parks are also off-limits.
Maintaining the Electrical Equipment on Your Property
You are legally responsible for maintaining the electrical equipment on your property to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code. This includes poles and overhead wires.
