Tree & Power Line Safety Electrical Safety-SMART! Home

Stay Safe Around Trees & Power Lines

Do you like to climb and play in trees? Follow these tips to help keep yourself and your friends safe:

1. Never climb in or play in trees that are growing next to power lines.
2. Never touch a power line with your hand or with any other object, whether you are in a tree or on the ground.
3. Don't build a tree house, fort, or anything else in a tree that is next to power lines.

4. Tell an adult if you see trees growing close to high-voltage power lines or contacting these lines. (High-voltage lines are the ones at the very top of power poles.)
5. If you see a power line that has fallen into a tree or onto the ground, stay away and tell an adult immediately. Even if they are not sparking or humming, fallen lines can kill you if you touch them or the ground nearby.
6. Tell an adult if you see someone trimming a tree next to a high-voltage power line. Qualified line-clearance tree trimmers are the only ones allowed to do this.
7. Plant only trees that will not grow tall or wide enough to contact nearby power lines.
8. Before planting a tree, or doing any digging on your property, have an adult call the underground utility locator service at 811 to make sure you won't dig into buried power lines. This is a free service.