General News
28 July, 2025
Stark reminder of ‘Look Up and Live’
Routine work could have led to tragedy last Wednesday, when a farmer hit a powerline to the west of Clifton.
Firefighters, police, paramedics and Ergon Energy crews were called to a property west of Clifton after the incident had occurred at around 2pm.
The farmer was operating a spray rig when it came into contact with an above ground powerline on the roadside.
Sparks from the powerline created a small grassfire that firefighters were able to get under control quickly.
The incident caused Ergon Energy’s network to shut down power in the surrounding area as a safety precaution.
An Ergon Energy spokesperson said the farmer followed correct safety protocol - Stay, Call, Wait! - by staying in the vehicle until Ergon crews had arrived and safely
de-energised the line.
The spokesperson said 172 customers in Back Plains, Clifton, Ellangowan, Felton South, Ryeford and Sandy Camp lost power at 2.16pm.
They said power was restored to all but seven customers by 4.13pm and the remainder were re-energised at 9.43pm.
These seven customers were not necessarily homes, as they could be for water pumps and work sheds.
The spokesperson said the outage was triggered by automatic network protection systems, which can occur in a number of ways.
“The network protection system, a bit like the safety switch in your home, trips circuit breakers when something makes contact with powerlines,” they said.
“It could be a lightning strike, tree branch, wildlife or a vehicle.
“Network protection is designed to keep the community safe because if something contacts the network there is a risk of fallen powerlines.
“If there is no damage and the contact is brief, like a tree branch touching lines as it falls to the ground, it might be a momentary outage.
“When circuit breakers trip, the network control centre will be alerted, and fault-finding crews will be dispatched to patrol the network.
“If there is damage, like fallen powerlines, they need to do emergency repairs before power can be safely restored.
“If they confirm there is no damage, power can be safely restored relatively quickly.
“Ergon Energy Network is investigating options to change the network construction in this area to create a larger gap between the wires to reduce the likelihood of these types of faults occurring.”
More generally, Ergon Energy Network is urging all truck drivers, operators, and businesses to stay vigilant around overhead powerlines and electrical assets, after almost 150 contacts on the network involving heavy vehicles since January.
Agricultural equipment, high loads, trucks and earth moving equipment and excavators have struck power poles or made contact with overhead powerlines across Queensland, disrupting electricity supply to thousands of properties for many hours.
Alarmingly, the Darling Downs has recorded 32 occurrences this year, comfortably the most in the state so far this year.
Acting Area Manager Wes Bahr warns that it only takes a momentary lapse in concentration for a collision with live wires or fallen lines to result in serious injury or worse.
“Our message to anyone operating large machinery is clear: stay alert around electrical assets, especially when moving high loads,” Mr bahr said.
“If your vehicle comes into contact with powerlines or any electrical equipment, remember our Stay, Call, Wait! mantra – Stay in your vehicle, Call for help, and Wait until emergency services and our crews arrive.”
Mr Bahr said it was also important for bystanders and well-meaning people to stay well clear of the incident, as they can also be at risk of electric shock or fatal injury if they touch the vehicle or nearby equipment.
If a life-threatening emergency such as fire forces the driver to exit the vehicle, they should open the door fully, jump clear – ensuring they do not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time – and land with their feet together, avoiding any fallen powerlines.
Once clear, they should shuffle their feet until they are at least ten metres away from the vehicle to minimise the risk of electric shock.
Drivers are also reminded that electrical current can compromise the chemical structure of the air within the truck’s tyres, making them prone to rupture or explosion.
For this reason, any vehicle involved in a powerline incident should not be driven for at least
24 hours.
Ergon urges everyone in the trucking and logistics industry or operating heavy machinery to review their safety protocols, brief their teams, and always be aware of overhead hazards – because the consequences of a single mistake can be catastrophic.
