The short answer
The biggest electrical risks on a Riverina farm are overhead powerlines (machinery and augers hitting them), private poles and lines that nobody has inspected, and tools and leads used in wet, dusty or rough conditions without safety switch protection. Keep machinery at least 3 metres from lines up to 132 kV and use a safety observer. Have your private poles and lines inspected every year before bushfire season. Make sure portable tools in sheds and workshops have safety switch (RCD) protection and are regularly inspected and tested. And remember that your sheds, pump sites and workshops are workplaces, so work health and safety duties apply.
Overhead powerlines: the number one risk
Essential Energy flags machinery over 4.6 metres as a higher risk around powerlines. On a farm that's a lot of gear: augers, headers, tippers, sprayers with booms up, irrigation pipes being moved, hay stacking, and anything with a raised arm or tray.
SafeWork NSW sets these safe approach distances for people and machinery who aren't trained and authorised for work near lines:
| Line voltage | Minimum distance |
|---|---|
| Up to and including 132 kV | 3 m |
| Above 132 kV, up to 330 kV | 6 m |
| Above 330 kV | 8 m |
Use a safety observer whenever machinery could come close to a line.
Practical steps:
- Know where your lines are. Essential Energy's free "Look Up and Live" map and app shows overhead powerlines. Essential Energy also offers aerial markers and property powerline maps.
- Plan routes and work areas so augers and booms are lowered well away from lines.
- Brief everyone, including seasonal workers, contractors and family, on where the lines are.
- If a line comes down, stay at least 8 metres away, keep others back and call Essential Energy on 13 20 80, or 000 if anyone's life is at risk.
Private poles and lines
On many rural properties, the poles and lines past the connection point (typically the first pole on the property) belong to the property owner, who is responsible for maintaining them. Private poles are labelled with a "PP" prefix. Essential Energy recommends having them inspected by a qualified contractor every year before bushfire season and after major storms.
Maintenance of a private pole connected to the network has to be arranged with the distributor or an authorised Accredited Service Provider (ASP). Our full guide to private power poles in NSW explains who does what.
Sheds, workshops and pump sites are workplaces
If people work there, WHS duties apply, and that includes the family farm. The NSW Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 replaced the 2017 Regulation in August 2025, and the electrical duties carried over.
Safety switches for portable tools. Under s 164 of the WHS Regulation, plug-in equipment needs RCD protection when it's used in conditions likely to damage it (moisture, heat, vibration, mechanical damage, corrosive chemicals or dust), moved between places where damage is likely, or moved frequently in normal use. That describes most angle grinders, welders, drills, pressure washers and extension leads on a farm.
Inspection and testing (test and tag). Under s 150, equipment used in a "hostile operating environment" must be regularly inspected and tested by a competent person, and untested equipment in those conditions must not be used until it's tested. SafeWork NSW's general rule for hostile environments is at least every 12 months, with workshop equipment every 6 months and hire equipment every 3 months. Test records must show who tested it, when, the result and when the next test is due. A tag is the usual way.
RCD testing. The person in control of the workplace must make sure RCDs are tested regularly by a competent person, and keep the records (other than push-button tests).
NAF Electrical does test and tag across the Riverina, including a digital test register. The price depends on how many items you have and how far the property is from Wagga, so use the test and tag estimate for a price.
Wet, dust and animals
Farm conditions are hard on electrical gear. Things to watch for:
- cords and leads that have been run over, chewed by rodents or left in water
- power points and switches in dairies, wash-down areas or near troughs that are cracked or full of dust
- old switchboards in sheds with no safety switches, scorch marks or a burning smell
- temporary wiring that has become permanent
- lights and fittings full of dust, chaff or bird nests
If you see any of these, stop using it and get it checked. Repairing fixed wiring, power points and switchboards is electrical wiring work, which in NSW needs a licensed electrician. DIY electrical work is illegal and can void your insurance.
Pumps, irrigation and bigger loads
Irrigation pumps, grain dryers, cool rooms and big workshop machines add serious load. If a new pump or shed would push the property's maximum demand past what your connection agreement allows, a written connection application to Essential Energy is needed, including a maximum demand calculation to AS/NZS 3000. Supplies above 100 A per phase must be three-phase. See three-phase power.
Work on the service line, service fuse or meter is for Essential Energy or a Level 2 ASP, not an ordinary electrician. Nelson does the work on your installation from the switchboard onwards and can help coordinate the rest.
Sheds and outbuildings that have been off for a while
If a shed, cottage or pump site has been de-energised for 6 months or more, a qualified electrician must do a safety inspection before it's re-energised, and complete an Electrical Installation Safety Inspection Certificate for your retailer.
A quick farm checklist
- Map every overhead line and mark it for workers.
- Check machinery heights against the 4.6 m warning and the approach distances.
- Book a private pole and line inspection before bushfire season.
- Make sure shed and workshop circuits have working safety switches, and test them with the "T" button.
- Test and tag portable tools and leads used in hostile conditions.
- Replace damaged leads; don't tape them up.
- Plan big new loads with an electrician before buying the pump.
For anything from a new shed supply to fault finding on a pump, see rural electrical. Travel is free close to Wagga and charged further out, and it's charged once per visit, so it pays to group farm jobs into one trip.
Common questions
How close can I take farm machinery to powerlines?
For people and machinery not trained and authorised for work near lines, SafeWork NSW sets 3 m for lines up to 132 kV, 6 m above 132 kV up to 330 kV, and 8 m above 330 kV. Use a safety observer. Essential Energy flags machinery over 4.6 m as a higher risk.
Who is responsible for power poles on my farm?
Poles and lines past the connection point, which on rural properties is typically the first pole on the property, generally belong to the owner. Maintenance must be arranged with Essential Energy or an authorised ASP.
Do farm tools need to be tested and tagged?
If they're used in a hostile environment (moisture, heat, vibration, mechanical damage, chemicals or dust), yes. WHS Regulation s 150 requires regular inspection and testing by a competent person. SafeWork NSW's general rule for hostile environments is at least every 12 months.
Do farm sheds need safety switches?
Plug-in tools used in hostile conditions in a workplace need RCD protection under WHS Regulation s 164. In homes, the Wiring Rules also require 30 mA RCD protection on new or altered circuits. Ask Nelson what applies to your shed's circuits.
What should I do if a powerline comes down on my property?
Stay at least 8 metres away, keep people and stock back, and call Essential Energy on 13 20 80, or 000 if anyone's life is at risk. Treat every fallen line as live.