Where's the Line?

 

	Look, Locate, Live

Have you seen this sticker on the back of a truck or piece of equipment? Has it given you reason to ask yourself, that very question: “Where IS the line?” Well, if it has, it is working like it should. 

Every day in Alberta, there are contacts with power lines that have the potential to seriously injure or kill someone. And so, explains Alberta’s Where’s the Line? power line safety campaign and how it came to be. Created by five of Alberta’s regulated electric utilities 15 years ago, AltaLink, ATCO Electric, ENMAX, EPCOR and FortisAlberta promoted both overhead and underground power line safety driving traffic to wherestheline.ca with memorable mantras like, "Look Locate Live" and "Stay 7 Meters Safe." The utilities decided that focusing on the desired safety action is far better than a campaign branded with a clutter of company logos. Resources, ideas and best practices were combined to create the Where’s the Line? website, which hosts a wealth of safety videos followed by tutorials and quizzes where anyone working around power lines can learn how to work safely, earn branded swag and order Where’s the Line? stickers to serve as visual safety reminders. The campaign also drives traffic to Alberta One-Call (AOC) to ensure those planning to dig know to first secure a locate to mark registered underground utilities. 

In late 2020, the utilities involved and AOC decided to join forces. This made sense because safety messages target the same digging community. The timing is perfect because AOC is reinventing itself from a notification agency of underground assets to also include overhead assets, like power lines. Wherestheline.ca will be integrated into their services and when you submit a request to locate underground assets, you will also be notified of overhead lines to watch out for. Those securing a locate will now get the whole picture — below and above and safety advice just before the job starts. Perfect timing!

In the meantime, wherestheline.ca continues to serve Albertans as they work and live around power lines, with great safety resources for individuals and companies. The bottom line is that every day in our province, accidental contacts with power lines can hurt or kill those who underestimate their power and have a social and financial cost. "Where’s the line?" continues to be the single most important question to ask yourself when on the work site. Awareness of what is above and below is key to your safety and we have just the right advice and resources for you.