Worker injured in powerline incident
A Victorian crane company has been fined after one of its workers was severely burned when a crane made contact with a powerline.
The incident has prompted a warning from Energy Safe Victoria about the potentially deadly consequences of failing to operate cranes and other machinery safely near overhead powerlines.
In September 2025, the company was carrying out work at a residential construction site in Norlane, Geelong, where it had been hired to lift sections of a modular home from a truck onto structural beams.
CCTV footage captured the moment a steel crane chain contacted an overhead powerline, causing an arc flash. Four workers received electric shocks, including one man who suffered critical burns and was airlifted to hospital.
The company pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court to one charge of putting people in danger by damaging or interfering with protected electrical infrastructure, an offence under the Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019. It was fined $2700 without conviction.
In the past 12 months, Energy Safe has recorded 40 powerline contacts involving people, vehicles or machinery. Two Victorian workers tragically lost their lives as a result, while two others were seriously injured.
Energy Safe CEO Leanne Hughson said the Norlane incident showed how quickly work near powerlines could go seriously wrong.
“This incident left a worker severely burned, but it could easily have ended in tragedy,” Hughson said.
“If you’re operating a crane or other machinery near powerlines, you need to know exactly where they are, plan your work around them and make sure everyone and everything onsite stays outside the no-go zones.
“You don’t have to touch a powerline for electricity to seriously injure or kill you. Electricity can arc across a gap, so never assume you have enough clearance — know the safe distance and stay well clear.
“Energy Safe will hold companies and workers accountable if they ignore these safety requirements and put lives at risk by working too close to powerlines without the required safety checks or authorisation.”
Visit the Energy Safe website for more information about No Go Zones and working safely around powerlines.
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