FACTS
- Younger workers are most likely to experience electrical injuries.
- The risk of shock or electrocution is greatest around metal objects and in damp conditions.
- Only qualified electricians should repair electrical equipment or work an energized line.
- Contact with overhead power supply lines is a frequent electrical-related killer.
- Common Electrical Hazards
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- Overhead powerlines
- Underground powerlines
- Lightning
- Faulty equipment
- Working on energized equipment
- Improper grounding
- Damaged insulation
STATS
- Contact with / exposure to electric current accounted for 2.6% of all workplace fatalities. In 2016, they accounted for 2.9%, in 2015 2.7% and 3.1% in 2014.
- Contact with / exposure to electric current maintained its position as sixth most common type of workplace fatality. 54% of all fatal electrical injuries occurred in the construction industry compared to 53% in 2016. The second leading industry in electrical fatalities in professional and business services with 20 fatalities (15%).
- By occupation, workers in construction and extraction occupations (47%) and installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (22%) accounted for the largest number of deaths.
- 80% of fatal injuries from direct exposure to electricity occurred while workers were engaged in constructing, repairing, or cleaning activities.
- Electrical hazards are listed as the cause of approximately 4,000 injuries annually.
- Total economic losses due to electrical hazards are estimated to exceed $4 billion annually.