PUBLIC SAFETY - Introduction

Northern Ireland’s electricity network is all around us, spanning the country on a network of pylons, substations, poles, overhead lines and underground cables. The safety of NIE linesmen, engineers, anyone working in the vicinity of electricity equipment and the general public is of paramount important to us.

This website will give you vital safety information about how to stay safe when working or playing near electricity lines and cables.

The electricity distribution network is designed and maintained so that normally, all dangerous parts are well out of reach of members of the public. However, during some activities, either at work or at play, people can find themselves at risk of injury or worse from the thousands of kilometres of overhead wires and underground cables that deliver power to homes, offices, shops, hospitals, farms, and factories across Northern Ireland.

Every year, people are injured or killed by coming into contact with live electricity overhead lines, underground cables or equipment. At work or at play, everyone should know what the dangers are and how to avoid them.