The following information is provided by Eversource; the primary electric service provider for the Town of East Lyme. For further Electric Safety tips, please visit the Eversource web site Safety Page.

Although electricity is very safe when used properly, plenty of potential electrical hazards can be found around your home and property. To ensure your safety, please keep the following outdoor electrical safety tips in mind.

Call Before You Dig

  • If you’re planning a project that involves any type of digging, you are required to notify Call Before You Dig at 811 or 800-922-4455 at least 48 hours before you begin digging to have the location of any underground utilities marked.
  • This free service can protect you from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines, which can cause harm to you and those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and potentially make you liable for fines and repair costs.

Stay clear of power lines

  • Stay away from downed wires and fallen trees that could have wires caught in them.
  • Don’t touch anything or anyone that’s touching a downed wire.
  • Assume all wires are energized.
  • Know where power lines are at all times.
  • Contacting an overhead wire with your body or a conductive object like a ladder, pole or roofing material can cause serious injury or death. Accidents can happen even without contact, so always maintain a safe distance of at least 10 feet.

Proper landscaping

  • Trees and tree limbs that interfere with power lines pose a major outage risk during storms, so avoid planting tall-growing trees under power lines.
  • Avoid landscaping around ground mounted utility equipment. During an outage our restoration crews may need to access this equipment.