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LADWP Newsroom

Safety Around Downed Power Lines

To the unsuspecting person, power lines look harmless enough. Yet coming in contact with power lines or other electrical equipment can cause serious injuries or even death. The lines often carry thousands of volts of electricity. That magnitude of electricity can seriously harm or even kill a person who touches or even comes close to a wire. The hazard is the same whether the person touches a wire directly or does so with any object.

LADWP recommends the following electric safety tips:



  • Don't touch anyone in contact with a power source: you could be killed or seriously injured. Instead, turn off power at the control panel - then call for help and tell them it's an electrical injury.
  • Stay away from metal fences, such as a chain link fence, as there may be a power line down and touching the fence somewhere beyond your sight.