Pennsylvania Act 1975-147 — PROVIDING FOR SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN HIGH-VOLTAGE LINE AREAS

Act text

PROVIDING FOR SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN HIGH-VOLTAGE LINE AREAS
                 Act of Dec. 16, 1975, P.L. 491, No. 147              Cl. 43
                                  AN ACT

     Providing for precautions to be taken in the proximity of high-
        voltage lines for the prevention of accidents; providing
        powers of administration and enforcement to the Department of
        Labor and Industry and prescribing penalties for violations.

        The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     hereby enacts as follows:

        Section 1.  Definitions.--As used in this act:
        "Department" means the Department of Labor and Industry.
        "High-voltage lines" means electrical conducting lines, wires
     or cables having a voltage differential in excess of 750 volts
     between any pair of conductors or between any conductor and
     ground.
        Section 2.  Prohibited Activity.--No employer or supervising
     agent of an employer shall require or permit an employee to, and
     no employee shall participate in the erection, maintenance,
     repair, construction or installation, whether or not such work
     is for emergency purposes, of high-voltage lines having a
     voltage differential in excess of nominally 13,200 volts between
     any pair of conductors or in excess of nominally 7,600 volts
     between any conductor and ground, unless any and all such
     conductors are de-energized before such work is commenced, or
     unless such work is performed on any energized conductor or
     equipment through approved hot stick methods which do not
     include handling such high-voltage lines with gloves or bare
     handed method.
        Section 3.  Warning Sign Required.--The owner, agent, lessee,
     bailee, user, or employer responsible for the operations of
     equipment shall provide such warning signs on equipment or at
     the work site as may be required by regulations promulgated
     hereunder. The requirement that warning signs be posted shall
     not apply to railway equipment operating on railway right-of-way
     in relation to high-voltage conductors of such railway system
     under conditions for which exemption is granted under section 7.
        Section 4.  Notification to Power Company and Responsibility
     for Safeguards.--Whenever activity is to be performed requiring
     precautionary action under section 2, the employer, contractor
     or other person responsible for the activity shall, promptly
     notify the owner or person in charge of the high-voltage line of
     the intended activity and shall fully comply with and shall be
     responsible for the cost and for the completion of the
     precautionary action required under section 2 before proceeding
     with such activity.
        Section 5.  Enforcement.--The department shall administer and
     enforce the provisions of this act and is hereby empowered to
     prescribe and promulgate rules and regulations consistent
     herewith.
        Section 6.  Penalties.--Any person violating any of the
     provisions of this act shall be liable to a penalty of $300 in a
     summary proceeding. Any violation of the act by an officer,
     agent or employee shall also be a violation of the act by his
     employer if such employer had knowledge of and actual control
     over the cause of such violation. Where the violation is of a
     continuing nature each day during which it continues, shall
     constitute an additional, separate and distinct offense.
        Section 7.  Exceptions.--This act shall not be construed as
     abrogating any existing collective bargaining agreement.