Six Facts on Electrocution

Odds of winning the lottery 1 in 135,145,920 (multi-state, mega-millions jackpot)
Lifetime odds of dying from electrocution: 1 in 5,000 (Source: LiveScience.com)

  1. The minimum electrical current detectible by a person is 1 mA (milliampere).
  2. Electrocution is the 5th leading cause of occupational injury deaths in the US.
  3. Workers must ensure that ladders, scaffolds, pipes and other tools and materials are not brought any closer than 10 feet from overhead power lines. With higher-voltage lines, that safety margin should increase to 35 feet.
  4. Every 30 minutes, a worker suffers an electrical injury severe enough to require time off work to recover.
  5. Work experience or lack of it plays a significant part in electrocutions, with 41 percent of US victims having been on the job for a year or less.
  6. An electrical current of 100 mA (milliamperes) can be fatal, depending upon how it passes through the body.