There are around 30,000 shock-related incidents per year, with 1000 of these cases resulting in death. Sometimes they occur as part of a freak-accident, such as being struck by lightning. Other times, they are part of unsafe work practices. Yet, regardless of how electrical burns occur, they are serious injuries that need special attention. But where do you start?
Your first step in treating someone with an electrical burn is to turn the power supply off to keep the burn from becoming worse. The next step is to get them to a healthcare professional quickly to determine how much damage there is. In many electric burn cases, there is more internal damage than external.
However, if the person is still in contact with the electrical current and you are unable to shut off the power supply, do not touch them! This can cause further injury or even death.
If an electrical burn victim is conscious but experiencing health problems, burned from a high- voltage wire, or was severely burned, call 911 for additional help.
Many prevention methods for electric safety are straight forward: don’t operate appliances near water, don’t let children near wires, put plastic caps over outlets, and so on. But let’s focus on ways to stay safe on the job.
For example, you should
Safety training is also a key prevention method. It’s one thing to do a job, but it’s another to do it safely.
Electric safety comes in many shapes and forms. If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to check out the Hard Hat Training course on Electric Safety, as well as the other courses we offer on electrical equipment.
For more information on the other training courses we offer, be sure to check out the Hard Hat Training website!
Good luck and stay safe!