Grid expansion brings civil works, heavy lifting and work near live parts together, often in installations that stay in operation. SAFETEE coordinates as SiGeKo under the German Construction Site Ordinance and with HSE management on site, aligned with the grid operator’s person responsible for the installation.
HSE in grid expansion means coordinating health and safety on construction sites for substations, converters and cable routes, often next to parts of the installation that remain live. SAFETEE provides safety and health coordination under the German Construction Site Ordinance and HSE management on site, aligned with the grid operator’s permit processes. For grid operators, EPC contractors and clients.
Conversions and extensions frequently run next to energised switch bays. Who may work where is set by switching orders, isolation and the permit to work issued by the grid operator.
Cable trenches, joint pits and drillings run for many kilometres through fields, roads and villages. Work areas, access routes and escape routes change as the work progresses.
Civil works, steel erection, heavy lifting and electrical installation run side by side. Construction site law and the grid operator’s electrical operating rules have to fit together on site.
Electrical responsibility for the installation stays with the grid operator and its person responsible for the installation. We make sure construction sequence, contractors and permits fit with it, and that everyone on site knows what applies.
Coordination during planning and execution for substation, converter and route, with a health and safety plan that brings civil works, heavy lifting and electrical installation together.
HSE managers on site for grid operators, EPC contractors or construction companies: inductions, inspections, KPIs and coordination with authorities and the accident insurer.
We coordinate access and induction of all contractors and support the grid operator’s permit and switching processes: work areas, barriers and handovers are clear before work starts.
Separately, our Safety Consulting advises grid and plant operators on duties and liability: Advice on operator liability. Consulting and operational coordination remain separate roles that complement each other.
In a substation, neighbouring bays often stay in operation. Safety distances, barriers and the five safety rules define where work is allowed before the first ladder goes up.
DIN VDE 0105-100 separates responsibility for operating the installation from responsibility for the work on site. Installation starts only once the work location is secured and the permit to work has been issued.
Large power transformers often weigh several hundred tonnes. Permitted heavy transport, load-bearing roads, lifting and skidding plans and crane work at a distance from overhead lines belong in the H&S plan.
Trenches deeper than 1.25 m need sloping or shoring under DIN 4124. Add utility information, spoil at the trench edge, access ladders and dewatering, along routes of many kilometres.
Under roads, railways and rivers, cables are drilled rather than trenched. Drilling fluid under pressure, third-party utilities, track proximity and traffic management under RSA 21 require alignment with rail, road authority and driller.
Old switchgear and transformers may contain hazardous substances such as PCB in insulating oils, asbestos or SF6 in gas-insulated switchgear. Survey, isolation and exclusion zones come before the first cut.
“Wind power, substation or joint pit, with SAFETEE it is never boring.”
Toolbox talk in the morning, LMRA before special and hazardous work, communication with all trades: that is where safety happens.
Ideally we join when the route, site setup and construction sections are being planned. Then the construction sequence and the grid operator’s switching programme fit together from the start.
H&S plan, prior notice and alignment with the grid operator’s operating rules for all construction sections.
Coordination of cable trench, joint pits, HDD drilling and road and rail crossings.
Transformer transport, crane lifts, steel erection and electrical installation next to live equipment.
Permits, final inspection and handover of the file for later work.
The person responsible for the installation and the work supervisor under DIN VDE 0105-100 are appointed by the grid operator and the electrical contractor. They decide on switching, isolation and the permit to work.
As SiGeKo and HSE management we make sure construction sequence, contractors and permits interlock: who works where and when, who has been inducted, and what is clarified before work starts.
Source: Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency), grid expansion monitoring (reference date 31 Mar 2026) and press release of 2 Jan 2026.
Examples from the market, as publicly reported: SuedLink, around 700 km of underground cable with 4 GW, is under construction in all six federal states; the tunnel under the Elbe was completed in June 2026. In Wöhrden (Schleswig-Holstein), construction of the HeideHub with converter and substation started on 21 Jan 2026.
With the Network Development Plan Electricity 2023–2037/2045, the Federal Network Agency confirmed on 1 Mar 2024 around 4,800 km of new lines and around 2,500 km of reinforced existing connections, plus five new HVDC links of 2 GW each. The follow-up plan, version 2025, is under review (as of 29 Sep 2026). Source: Bundesnetzagentur.
Before work on electrical installations, the dead state is established in a fixed order: 1. disconnect, 2. secure against reconnection, 3. verify absence of voltage, 4. earth and short-circuit, 5. cover or fence off adjacent live parts. Source: DIN VDE 0105-100 (EN 50110); BG ETEM.
For non-electrical work such as construction and crane work, DGUV Regulation 3 sets minimum distances to live parts: 1 m up to 1 kV, 3 m up to 110 kV, 4 m up to 220 kV, 5 m up to 380 kV. Work closer than 5 m to high-voltage lines counts as particularly hazardous under Annex II of the BaustellV. Source: DGUV V3 § 7; BaustellV.
Under DIN 4124, trenches up to 1.25 m deep may be dug with vertical walls without support if the soil is stable. Deeper trenches are sloped or shored. On routes with joint pits and crossings, shoring planning therefore belongs in the H&S plan for each construction section. Source: DIN 4124:2012-01.
Status of EnLAG and BBPlG projects, reference date 31 Mar 2026 (German).
Press release of 2 Jan 2026: around 2,000 km approved (German).
Confirmation of 1 Mar 2024: lines, HVDC, offshore (German).
Disconnect through to cover and fence off, explained by the accident insurer (German).
Coordinator, H&S plan, file for later work; Annex II particularly hazardous work (German).
Work near live parts, safety distances by voltage level (German).
As of: 29 Sep 2026
Coordination under the Construction Site Ordinance from planning to the file for later work.
HSE managers on site for grid operators, EPC contractors and construction companies.
Access, induction and coordination of all contractors on site.
Last Minute Risk Analysis by app before critical work steps.
Safety Consulting on operator duties and liability, separate from coordination.
As a rule, yes. New build, extension and conversion of a substation are construction projects under the German Construction Site Ordinance. If employees of several employers work on site, such as civil works, steel erection and electrical installation, the client appoints a coordinator. Work closer than 5 m to high-voltage lines is particularly hazardous under Annex II, and a health and safety plan is then also mandatory.
The person responsible for the installation under DIN VDE 0105-100 is appointed by the grid operator and is responsible for safe operation of the installation during the work. The work supervisor is responsible for carrying out the work on site. The SiGeKo coordinates all contractors on the construction site under the Construction Site Ordinance. The roles complement each other and do not replace one another.
Closed electrical operating areas may only be entered by skilled electrical persons and electrically instructed persons; others only when accompanied. Add instruction in the grid operator’s operating rules. Anyone acting as SiGeKo needs the coordinator qualification under RAB 30. The requirements in each case are set by the grid operator and the risk assessment.
They establish the dead state before work on electrical installations, always in this order: disconnect, secure against reconnection, verify absence of voltage, earth and short-circuit, cover or fence off adjacent live parts. They are lifted in reverse order, only after release by the responsible person.
Collapse of unsupported trenches, buried third-party utilities, site traffic and cable drum transports, work in joint pits, and road and rail crossings. Because the route moves, work areas and escape routes change constantly. That is why we update the H&S plan for each construction section and check shoring, access and barriers during inspections.
Large power transformers often weigh several hundred tonnes and need a permit for heavy transport. On site, load-bearing roads, crane position and outriggers, the lifting or skidding plan and the distance to live equipment and overhead lines are decisive. We define exclusion zones and the release of each lift in advance.
First the installation is isolated and disconnected from the grid, then hazardous substances are surveyed: PCB in old insulating oils, asbestos in components, SF6 in gas-insulated switchgear. Certified personnel recover the SF6 before dismantling. Then follow demolition planning, exclusion zones for excavators and falling parts, and disposal under waste law.
As early as possible. The Construction Site Ordinance requires coordination already during the planning of execution. Construction sections, site setup, crossings and switching programme can then be arranged so that civil works, heavy lifting and electrical installation do not obstruct each other. Achieving the same result later usually means replanning.
Type of installation, construction sections, planned period: with these three details we estimate the coordination effort and get back to you within one working day.
