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Electrical incidents primarily occur during operations on live fixed installations, such as cabinets, enclosures, and power outlets, as well as during the use of portable power tools.
The same applies to interventions that may take place in direct or indirect proximity to electrical installations or structures (such as overhead lines, transformer stations, or buried conduits, among others).
Depending on the nature of the tasks and the electrical environment, it is the employer's responsibility to organize operations and authorize personnel when required.
What is an electrical hazard? And what are the electrical risks associated with work?
An electrical hazard refers to any event that can cause a work-related incident or accident due to electric current.
For workers, electrical risks are numerous and can be of various types (direct contact, indirect contact, short circuit, electric arc, etc.). They generally occur on faulty circuits, when cables are poorly insulated or damaged.
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These include both electrical operations (intervention on live parts, insulators, etc.) and non-electrical operations (painting, cleaning, etc.) in the vicinity of exposed live parts.
A vicinity zone is defined by a minimum approach distance (MAD). It depends on the voltage ranges.
Source: memoforma
Reminder in all cases:
- The employer must carry out the electrical risk assessment.
- Every authorized worker must receive enhanced individual health monitoring.
- The employer must provide each authorized worker with a book of instructions whose content is based on approved standards (NF C 18-510) and may be supplemented by specific safety instructions.
Non-electrical work carried out in the vicinity of overhead or underground electrical structures or installations
This refers to non-electrical work (e.g., painting, delivery activities, moving, pruning, etc.) performed in the vicinity of electrical structures or installations that do not involve their conductive parts.
What is the concept of the environment?
The environment should be considered as the geographical volume within a 50-meter radius around a bare or insulated conductor.
Prevention obligations for de-energized work (employer, project owner or project manager)
The employer must ensure that work likely to result in crossing certain safety distances (diagram 1) by workers, the work equipment or road vehicles they use, the materials or loads they handle (bare overhead lines) or penetration into the cautious approach zone (diagram 2) (insulated overhead or underground conduits), are carried out while de-energized (unless technically impossible, as justified by the facility operator or the head of the electrical installation facility).
Specific general technical prevention measures are established for de-energized work:
Before Work
The employer must:
- conduct the risk assessment;
- request the facility operator or the head of the installation facility to de-energize the system ;
- only begin work when in possession of a document attesting to the de-energization or lockout/tagout.
The facility operator or the head of the electrical installation facility must, in conjunction with the employer, determine the affected part of the facility or installation and the start and end dates and times of the work.
End of Work
The employer sends the facility operator or the head of the installation facility a document stating the date and time of completion or suspension of the work, allowing the facility or installation to be re-energized.
Work can only resume when the employer obtains a new attestation of de-energization or lockout/tagout.
Prevention Requirements for Work Near Live Conductors
For each new operation, the employer must implement prevention measures determined after a specific risk assessment:
| Work near bare overhead power lines | Work near insulated overhead lines or underground pipelines/cables |
| Specific risk assessment taking into account the information provided by the electricity network operator or the facility manager as part of the prior exchanges (composition and type of networks or installations, their route, the height of the lines concerned, and the voltage range of the lines concerned). | Specific risk assessment taking into account the information provided by the network operator or the facility manager as part of the prior exchanges (composition and type of networks or installations, the route of the pipelines/cables concerned, including, where applicable, uncertainty data, the depth of the pipelines/cables concerned, and the voltage range of the cables concerned). |
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Reminder: electricity network operators subject to the single point of contact (guichet unique) declaration requirement must provide certain information (characteristics, precautions to take, etc.) as part of their response to work-start intention declarations. For work near electrical structures not subject to the single point of contact declaration requirement, and unless otherwise agreed with the operator, the employer must request this information directly from the operator. |
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Appropriate operating procedures to be defined by the employer, prioritising collective protection measures. Factors to consider: – Maximum heights of the work equipment used – Ground condition and slope – Night work, lone working – Weather conditions – Visibility conditions – Accessibility for emergency services |
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Protective measures to be implemented for workers: Low voltage (LV): – Placing physical barriers between the line and the work area – Adding insulation where safety distances may be crossed. High voltage (HV): – Restricting the work area – Keeping out of reach of the live bare overhead line by maintaining distance – Placing physical barriers between the line and the work area. Note: where technically impossible, technical or organisational measures (marking out, etc.) must be put in place to ensure safety distances are respected. |
 From 7 July 2027 Non-visible insulated underground pipelines/cables: the site supervisor must hold a specific electrical authorisation for work carried out within the uncertainty zone. Underground pipelines/cables made visible: an HF/BF electrical authorisation (Amendment A1 of standard NF C 18-510) is required for work involving entry into the cautious approach zone. Note: equivalences exist between the AIPR certification and the HF/BF electrical authorisation. |
Specific Work – Key Requirements:
Work related to crop production carried out using mobile work equipment or road vehicles
If safety distances cannot be maintained:
– specific safety distances must be defined,
– signage indicating the maximum heights of work equipment and safety and emergency procedures in case of electrical contact must be implemented,
– specific training for workers (to be renewed every 3 years or in case of changes involving new risks) must be completed starting July 7, 2025.
Vegetation Maintenance and Tree Felling Work Near an Uninsulated Overhead Line
For vegetation maintenance work:
- The use of telescopic-handled hand tools is prohibited during vegetation maintenance work if there is a risk of encroaching on general safety clearances,
- Specific safety distances must be taken into account if vegetation is overhung by conductors or if vegetation is laterally positioned relative to conductors, depending on the voltage,
- Personnel must be authorized for certain tasks starting July 7, 2027;
- …..
For tree felling and related work => marking of certain trees, priority methods to be used, felling procedures, and documentation.
To summarize:
It is important to identify risks and implement appropriate prevention measures (operating procedures, collective protective equipment/personal protective equipment, specific electrical authorizations) to reduce or eliminate electrical risk. Personnel must be able to understand the dangers of electricity, identify them, navigate risk areas, and integrate prevention into the preparation of their operations.
For further information (regulatory references):
- Labor Code Articles R. 4544-12 to R. 4544-33: Non-electrical work in the vicinity of overhead or underground electrical structures or installations (Part Four, Book V, Title IV, Chapter IV bis)
- Order of July 5, 2024 concerning the prevention of electrical risk related to non-electrical work performed in the vicinity of live overhead and underground electrical structures or installations
- Order of July 5, 2024 concerning the conditions for equivalence between the authorization for intervention near networks provided for by Article R. 554-31 of the Environmental Code and the authorization provided for by Article R. 4544-33 of the Labor Code