For Aotearoa's electrical utilities, contractors, and infrastructure providers, working near overhead lines is part of everyday operations.
EWPs operating alongside distribution networks. Cranes lifting near live assets. Civil works in proximity to HV infrastructure.
The risk is well understood — and well documented.
Yet incidents still occur. Not because the risks are unknown, but because the systems used to manage them are often incomplete.
Managing overhead line risk isn't about any one control measure.
It's a layered safety system, where each element supports the next:
If any one of those layers is weak, the entire system is exposed.
Procedures and planning are essential. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, PCBUs have a duty to manage risk so far as is reasonably practicable — and that starts with establishing how work near overhead lines should be carried out.
Training sharpens decision-making. Operators need to understand electrical risk, not just plant operation — and supervisors need to recognise proximity hazards in changing site conditions.
But both layers share a critical assumption: that the equipment being used will perform as expected.
In practice, this is where risk is most often introduced.
Equipment is assumed to be safe — rather than verified to be safe.
Consider two scenarios that recur across the industry:
An EWP operating near live distribution lines — certified on paper, but with insulation that hasn't been dielectrically tested to AS 4748 within the required inspection cycle. The operator is following the procedure. The exclusion zone is set. But if the insulation fails under voltage, the layered system collapses at its foundation.
A crane lifting near live assets — with a current WoF sticker, but no independent verification that the load-bearing components meet AS 2550 requirements. The lift plan is solid. The operator is experienced. But the certificate is the weakest link.
In both cases, the procedures and training are doing their job. The equipment is the gap.
For equipment operating near live infrastructure, inspection and certification aren't just compliance activities — they're the control that makes every other control reliable.
If equipment hasn't been properly inspected, correctly certified, and maintained to recognised standards:
Under the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010, network operators and contractors have specific obligations around electrical safety that extend to the equipment their people are using. Independent, accredited inspection is how those obligations are met — and demonstrated.
Not all inspection and testing is equal.
DEG's work is underpinned by two internationally recognised frameworks:
ISO/IEC 17020 – Inspection Bodies
When your network operator, insurer, or regulator asks for evidence of independent verification, accreditation to ISO/IEC 17020 is what that looks like. It means independent, impartial assessment — not a tick-and-flick from a service provider with a commercial interest in the outcome.
ISO/IEC 17025 – Testing and Calibration
For HV PPE, insulated tools, and voltage detection equipment, test results are only as good as the laboratory producing them. ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation means full measurement traceability and results that stand up to audit.
As an IANZ-accredited provider, DEG holds both.
For Health and Safety Managers, this translates directly into audit-ready assurance:
Without that level of assurance, risk is being managed on assumption — not evidence. And when WorkSafe or your network operator asks for proof, assumption isn't enough.
DEG supports electrical utilities, contractors, and infrastructure providers nationwide with inspection, testing, and certification services designed for the realities of working near live infrastructure.
Our mobile teams operate across the country, with deep familiarity with the regulatory frameworks, network operator requirements, and operational pressures that define this sector.
Working near overhead lines will always involve risk. The question is whether your equipment assurance is genuinely closing the gap — or leaving it open.
If you're not certain when your EWPs or lifting gear were last independently inspected, or whether your HV PPE testing is current, that's the right place to start.