Ask the line's owner. Don't judge it by the poles or by counting insulators.
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Three wires on a crossarm at the top of a wood pole, the neutral below. The wires sag lowest mid-span and lower still on a hot day.
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The machine
Machine
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From the nearest wire, straight across, to the closest edge of the machine (tracks, tyres or outrigger pads).
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Out from the machine's centre, toward the line.
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Closest approach
1.4 m
limit 3.0 m
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Limit of approach round every energized wireClosest approach: clearWithin 1 m of the limit
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The answer
1.6 m inside the limit of approach
The bucket comes within 1.4 m of the nearest wire; Alberta requires 3.0 m. Move the set-up back, keep the end of the stick lower, or have the line's owner act first.
Limit of approach
3.0 m
750 V to 40 kV
Closest approach
1.4 m
the bucket
Highest tip here
4.8 m
at this set-up and reach
Nearest set-up
6.4 m
for this reach and height
To work closer
To work closer, notify the line’s operator (the utility, rural electrification association or industrial power producer) and get its help in protecting the workers.
Spotter or signaller
Part 17 names no spotter, but Parts 6 and 19 require a signaller where the operator’s view is blocked or a load could approach a hazard.
The rules · Alberta
Every person and piece of equipment. Before work within 7 m of a line, the employer must find out its voltage and set the distance.
Travelling under a line: A load, equipment or building moved under a line doesn’t need the distance if the total height, transporter included, is under 4.15 m.
Don’t place earth or material under or beside a line if it brings the clearance below the distance (grading, stockpiles).
Workers must keep the distance too, not only the employer.
A summary to plan with. The regulation and your employer's procedures govern.
Pick the line's voltage and your machine, set it up where you plan to work, and this calculator gives the limit of approach in your province or territory and shows in 3D how close the boom, the load or the platform really comes to the wires. It also works out the highest the tip can go at that set-up, and the nearest set-up that keeps it clear.
How the limit of approach works
Every Canadian jurisdiction sets a distance that no person, tool, machine or load may come inside near an energized overhead line. The distance grows with the voltage. It is measured from the wire to the nearest part of anything near it, and it applies to the whole machine: the boom, the stick, the hoist line, the hook, the load and the person in a platform.
Wires sag lowest mid-span and lower still in the heat, and they move in the wind. Measure where you'll work.
Booms bounce, loads swing and operators misjudge distance looking up. Keep well outside the limit, not on it.
Treat every line as energized, and covered wires as bare, until the owner confirms otherwise.
Electricity can arc across the gap before contact. You don't have to touch the line to be hurt.
If a machine touches a line
Stay in the cab and call the line's owner and 911. Warn everyone to keep back at least 10 m: the ground round the machine is energized. Only leave if the machine is on fire: jump clear with both feet together, never touching the machine and the ground at once, and shuffle away without lifting your feet.
Working closer
Work inside the limit needs the line's owner to act first: de-energize and ground it, move it, or guard it, with their written assurance, permit or instructions, depending on the jurisdiction. The rules panel in the calculator says what yours requires, and who must be watching the boom.
Sources: the OHS regulation of each jurisdiction (sections in the rules panel), read 2026-10-18; Manitoba Hydro's published approach distances. The machines are typical of their class (a 20 t excavator, a 60 t all-terrain crane, an articulating boom lift and a tandem dump truck); check your own machine's range chart. Voltages between the rows of a table that lists named voltages take the next row up.
Frequently asked questions
What is the limit of approach to a power line in Alberta?
Alberta’s OHS Code Schedule 4 sets 3.0 m for lines from 750 V to 40 kV, 3.5 m for 69 and 72 kV, 4.0 m for 138 and 144 kV, 5.0 m for 230 and 260 kV and 7.0 m for 500 kV. Under 750 V it is 1.0 m for bare wires and 300 mm for wires insulated over their whole length. Before work within 7 m of a line, the employer must find out its voltage.
How close can an excavator or crane get to a power line in Ontario?
No part of the equipment or its load may come closer than 3 m to a line of 750 V to 150 kV, 4.5 m to a line over 150 kV to 250 kV, and 6 m above 250 kV. Where any part could encroach, a competent signaller with a clear view of the operator and the line must warn the operator.
What if I don’t know the voltage of the line?
Call the line’s owner before work starts: in Alberta, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador the law requires the voltage to be found or given in writing. Nova Scotia sets 6.0 m and Yukon 7.0 m where the voltage isn’t known, and Newfoundland and Labrador 5.5 m without the utility’s written clearance. Don’t judge a line’s voltage by counting insulators.
Does the limit of approach include the load and the hoist line?
Yes. Every jurisdiction applies the distance to the equipment and anything it carries: the boom, the hoist line, the hook block, the load and the rigging, as well as the people. Ontario’s industrial regulation also says to allow for changes in boom angle and the swing of the load.
Keep power line permits and hazard assessments where the crew can see them
TruStar Connect holds your hazard assessments, field level hazard assessments, permits and equipment inspections on every phone on site, offline, and keeps them ready for your COR audit.
