Public Safety
Safety is the Foundation of the Greater Grid
As we work to deliver safe and reliable electricity to your community, it’s important to understand the safe practices for living and working near electric transmission lines.
Learn more about living safely around electricity.
Transmission lines often run through rural communities. It’s essential for everyone to know the safe practices for living, working and farming near transmission lines, especially during planting and harvest.
Learn more about farming safely around electricity.
IF YOU ENCOUNTER A DOWNED WIRE, CALL 911. ALWAYS ASSUME A DOWNED WIRE IS LIVE. KEEP YOURSELF AND OTHERS AWAY UNTIL EMERGENCY WORKERS ARRIVE.
About Electric and Magnetic Fields
What is EMF?
“EMF” is an abbreviation for “electric and magnetic fields,” or “electromagnetic field,” and sometimes as shorthand for “magnetic field.” EMFs are created wherever electricity is present. Common sources of EMF in our daily environments include electrical wiring in homes, offices, stores and public buildings such as schools and hospitals, home appliances, office and business equipment, as well as overhead and underground power lines. Common exposures to EMF from household sources can exceed those created by power lines.
What is EMP?
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), also called High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP), results from the detonation of a thermonuclear device above the earth’s atmosphere. It can present a threat to the power system across very large portions of the bulk electric system by causing simultaneous flashover faults (short circuits) on low voltage (distribution) portions of the power system. It can also destroy or damage unprotected electronic equipment resulting in the failure to sense, control, communicate and respond to power system conditions properly and also by preventing remote manual operation of the power system.
What is GMD?
Geomagnetic disturbances (GMD), also called geomagnetic storms, are events that arise from natural physical processes on the sun. While the storms can create beautiful auroras in the nighttime sky, they also can disrupt communication and navigation systems and cause harmful geomagnetic induced currents (GICs) in the electric power grid. ITC is participating in advancing the understanding of mitigation for these threats, as well as complying with the NERC standards that have been developed regarding this phenomenon.
Additional information on EMF is available from a number of sources, including:
U.S. National Cancer Institute
U.S. National Institute of Environmental Sciences
International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection