Dominion Virginia Power Urges Caution Near Neighborhood Electrical Lines

May 26, 2005

RICHMOND, Va. – With warm spring days beckoning us outside to paint the house, put up gutters or go to the park and fly kites with the kids, Dominion Virginia Power wants to remind everyone — stay away from electric power lines.

"Builders, painters and gutter installers as well as those of us who work around our homes on these weekends need to be aware of the dangers associated with electricity," said Jay L. Johnson, president and chief executive officer. "We are simply asking people to pay attention. Look up. If you are carrying ladders, sections of siding or any other equipment and it hits an electrical line, you could be severely or even fatally injured."

Fatal injuries can occur from coming into contact with as little as 50 volts of electricity. Power lines that run along neighborhood streets or alleys carry between 13,200 volts to 34,500 volts. Inside your home, a typical household electrical circuit is 120 volts, which is sufficient to cause serious injury or death.

Thus far in 2005, Dominion Virginia Power has been notified of 12 instances in its service area of contractors or homeowners coming into contact with electrical lines. By comparison, the company reported 36 contacts in 2004 and 38 contacts in 2003.

The most common — and preventable — instances of equipment coming into contact with electrical lines include metal or aluminum ladders, paint rollers, sections of gutter, antennas and workers digging into the ground. Cutting trees or branches and allowing them to fall into electrical lines has also been a problem.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission reports there were 411 electrocutions nationwide in 2001, the latest year for which statistics are available. About 13 percent of all accidental residential electrocutions were the result of antennas and ladders coming into contact with overhead power lines. Electrocutions related to household wiring accounted for another 10 percent.

In Virginia, anyone performing work near an overhead high-voltage line is required by law to keep a minimum of 10 feet away from the line, including ladders and tools. Greater distances may be required depending on the voltage of the line.

Any person who anticipates working in this danger zone is required by Virginia law to notify the utility to make temporary safety arrangements. For Dominion Virginia Power, the toll-free number to call is 1-888-667-3000. Before digging in the ground — be it for trees, shrubs or fences — people must call Miss Utility at its toll-free number, 1-800-552-7001, so that the underground cables can be clearly marked.

May is National Electrical Safety Month. For more detailed information on electrical safety, visit www.dom.com or the Electrical Safety Foundation International at its Web site, www.esfi.org. The Web site for Miss Utility is www.missutilityofvirginia.com.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with an energy portfolio of about 28,100 megawatts of generation, about 6 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas reserves and 7,900 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline. Dominion also operates the nation's largest underground natural gas storage system with more than 965 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in nine states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

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