ESB Networks Spring Safety Series: Safety when working near electricity
In any occupation, safety tips are important to know. Everyday tasks eventually become second nature and we can do them almost without thinking. However, there is nowhere more dangerous than on the farm.
While the hazards on any farm are many, electricity lines in particular pose a deadly risk if they are not given the respect they deserve.
Spring Safety Series tips
To keep you safe as we go through the coming month, ESB Networks has put together 10 tips for safer farming in the presence of electricity:
Understand that electricity lines are always live, and that electricity always seeks the shortest, easiest path to the ground – including through people; Identify all overhead electricity lines prior to beginning work using tools or heavy machinery. This includes ladders, trimmers, strimmers, and saws, as well as spray booms, cranes, tipper lorries, grain augers, or other farm machinery; Always check if there are buried cables and services before digging. Email dig@esb.ie or call 1800 372 757 to get maps of ESB network cables; When traversing fields, plan your route to maintain a safe distance from overhead lines, stay wires and electricity poles. Where possible, work parallel to lines rather than crossing under them. Electricity can 'arc' or jump gaps, meaning you do not need to make contact with the line to be at risk; Remember, liquids and electricity are a dangerous combination. Exercise extreme caution when using power washing or irrigation equipment, or spreading slurry near overhead lines; Call ESB Networks on 1800 373 999 if your tractor, machinery or any other attachment comes in contact with an overhead line, and remain in the cab until the electricity has been shut off by an ESB Networks technician. A wrong move could result in serious injury or death. Warn others to keep their distance. If you must exit the cab, jump clear of the tractor and land with both feet, taking care to avoid touching the ground with your hands. Then, take short steps until you are safely 10m away; Avoid storing silage or other materials near power lines. This increases the chance that a loader may come in contact with the power lines; Always use a licensed electrician for all repairs or new installations, including electric fences and stand-by generators. Such generators require a proper changeover switch at the main distribution board and should never be plugged into an electrical socket; Never touch fallen wires, or handle livestock that may be in contact with electricity wires. Notify ESB Networks of any fallen lines immediately; In an emergency, call ESB Networks' 24/7 service on 1800 372 999 with the GPS coordinates or the Eircode for your location.
Save this number in your mobile phone today: 1800 373 999.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Irish Independent
Investigation underway after West Kerry residents endured ‘massive' power outage on Wednesday night
Thousands of customers in West Kerry were affected by the outage, which occurred between 10pm and midnight on Wednesday. ESB spokesperson Graham King told The Kerryman the outage was likely caused by lightning. 'An investigation into the outage is ongoing by ESB Networks but it is likely that this was caused by a lightning strike which required repair work to be carried out by our crews,' Mr King stated. 'We apologise to all customers impacted for the inconvenience caused.' Corca Dhuibhne councillor Breandán Fitzgerald told The Kerryman that the outage caused some disruption in his locality. 'I suppose everybody would have been happy with it. Nobody knew about it but I suppose these things happen,' the Fianna Fáil representative said. 'It happened at I think 10 o'clock. It just seemed to be the whole peninsula went out.' The councillor said that the ESB website initially indicated that the outage was due to a fault at the Ballyard station in Tralee, and affected 9,500 customers. Cllr Fitzgerald reported the outage to the ESB hotline, and a speaker informed him that crews were out trying to fix it. 'They knew there was a massive outage,' he explained. The councillor later noticed that a fault was showing at Inch, affecting 4,300 people. 'They must have isolated the problem between Ballyard and Inch,' he said. 'Just after 12 o'clock the power came back on here.' Cllr Fitzgerald said he had not heard the reason for the fault but had assumed it was lightning, which can occur regularly on the peninsula at this time of the year. The councillor said power outages are not really a frequent occurrence in West Kerry. 'It was lucky it was the night time because if it was the day, between the amount of tourists around and payments and phones down and internet down and everything, it wouldn't be good,' he said. 'We don't want it to happen but of course everybody accepts that accidents like that happen.' 'The main thing is that it was back up within two hours, which was obviously very good.'
Irish Independent
08-08-2025
- Irish Independent
Calls for Eir to remove abandoned phone wires in Galway
Today at 08:55 Non-functioning phone wires appear to be abandoned in countryside areas after Storm Eowyn and Galway County councillor Sean Broderick calls them 'dangerous and disgraceful'. The storm caused massive wind damage throughout county Galway including phone wires and power lines. Cllr. Broderick has called on telecommunications company Eir to clean up abandoned phone wires throughout rural areas particularly Athenry and Monivea. Restoration efforts are still under way in those areas after the storm and recently saw increased funds to assist in those efforts the Irish Independent reported. Cllr Broderick claims that when Eir contractors came to replace the lines, they failed to remove the old wires and instead 'dropped them in ditches, on roadsides, and in people's gardens.' 'In some cases, wires have been left hanging dangerously low across farm gateways, making it difficult or even impossible for tractors and machinery to access fields. It's disgraceful and it's unsafe.' Cllr Broderick said. Immediate action was requested by the councillor to resolve the concern prior to hedge-cutting season as 'contractors will be reluctant to go near these hanging wires'. 'The wires are no longer in use — that much is clear — but it is not acceptable to leave them littering the countryside like discarded rubbish. I am calling on Eir, ComReg, and the Department of Environment to intervene and ensure this mess is cleaned up without delay.' Contacted by the Irish Independent, Eir responded that they have no record of Cllr Broderick's enquiry on their general database or in the private line to local councillors. Without an Eircode that pertains to property affected by the abandoned phone lines, locating any complaints, or carrying out services, is difficult. Eir did explain that certain challenges can be faced if old phone lines are enclosed around over-grown shrubs, as that is not the responsibility of the company, or if the lines are on private property where permission would nee to be sought to remove the broadband wires. Cllr Broderick said: 'Galway's countryside is not a dumping ground. These communities deserve better than this careless treatment. Someone must take responsibility — and they must take it now.' At the time Cllr Broderick says he made the complaint to Eir, damage from the storm was at an all-time high and the enquiry was far more general to the Athenry-Oranmore area than to specific locations. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Irish Daily Mirror
09-06-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Full list of 28 Irish schools selected for major energy retrofits this summer
28 schools across Ireland are to undergo extensive energy and decarbonisation retroworks, Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee announced today. The works are to be completed as part of an €86 million investment from the department's REPowerEU Pathfinder Programme, which aims to improve the efficiency of Ireland's schools, while also helping the country to achieve its stated climate targets. "This is a hugely positive development for each of the schools, making them more comfortable for their students and staff," said Minister McEntee. "It is also a clear sign of our commitment to delivering modern, climate-conscious school environments and making real progress on national climate goals." Each school selected for the works will be retrofitted to score a Building Energy Rating (BER) of at least B - achieved by installing energy-efficient LED lighting, heat pumps and mechanical heat recovery ventilation. Additionally, each school's airtightness will be improved upon, and electric car charging points will be installed at each location. 24 of the 28 schools are also receiving additional electrical upgrades from ESB Networks, in order to better handle the new decarbonised heat pump systems. 'We are deeply grateful to all 40 schools that participated in the planning and design stages of the programme for their proactive engagement, cooperation, and support throughout this process," said McEntee. "Their participation has been essential to the success of the programme to date and we fully acknowledge the commitment and effort shown by each school community." Full list of schools selected:
