STANDARD + VR Construction and EPC · United Kingdom Updated October 14, 2026

Overhead Power Line VR Training: Exclusion Zones, Goalposts and Plant (Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and GS6)

VR overhead power line scenario on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and HSE GS6: diversion or isolation, barriers, goalposts at crossings and plant with long reach.

QUICK ANSWER

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require precautions to prevent danger from live conductors, and HSE guidance GS6 explains how for overhead lines: get the line diverted or switched off where possible, otherwise use barriers, goalposts and controls on plant. A VR scenario puts a tipper lorry and an excavator near a live line.

What the Rule Requires

Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/635), with HSE GS6: precautions must be taken to prevent danger from conductors and equipment, and no one may work on or so near any live conductor that danger may arise unless it is unreasonable for it to be dead, reasonable for work to proceed near it while live and suitable precautions are taken (regulation 14). HSE guidance GS6 describes diversion, isolation, ground-level barriers, goalposts at crossing points and control of plant and materials.

The scenario is a farm building extension with an 11 kV line crossing the site. The barriers have been moved for a delivery, a tipper lorry needs to tip under the line, and an excavator operator wants to lift a pipe with the bucket.

Hazards in This Scenario

Contact or arcing from plant and long materials
Barriers moved or missing
Tipping lorries raising bodies under lines
Underestimating the line height

The Procedure the Scenario Rehearses

Contact the network operator about diversion or isolation
Keep plant outside the exclusion zone with barriers
Use goalposts at crossing points
Plan tipping and lifting away from the line
Use a banksman when plant works near the zone
If contact happens, stay in the cab unless there is fire

Mistakes the Scenario Is Built to Catch

Moving barriers and not replacing them
Tipping under the line
Carrying long scaffold tubes upright
Jumping out wrongly after contact

Competence Assessment Matrix

Decision point	What the assessor sees	Pass standard
Isolation	Operator contacted	Network operator asked before work
Barriers	Moved barrier	Replaced before work
Tipping	Location	Away from the line
Contact	Response	Stays in cab unless fire

What VR Covers

Line clearance shown from the operator seat
Consequences shown safely
Contact response practice
Records per operator

What VR Does Not Replace

Network operator advice and isolations
Site layout and barrier installation
Banksman training

Scope of a One-Scenario Pilot

A pilot builds this scenario as a single module, in Unity or Unreal Engine depending on the visual fidelity the task needs and the headsets on site. It runs on standalone headsets, logs every learner decision, and exports a per-person record for your training file. It is measured against your current method with a test cohort before anything is scaled.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GS6?

HSE guidance on avoiding danger from overhead power lines.

What should a driver do after contact with a line?

Stay in the cab and warn others away, unless fire forces them out. Then jump clear without touching the vehicle and ground at the same time.

Who decides safe distances?

The network operator can advise. GS6 gives guidance on exclusion zones.

Want this scenario built around your site?

We review your current procedure and tell you which parts can be rehearsed in VR and which still need hands-on practice.

Map Your Highest-Risk Scenario