Electricians risk shock of accidents in the workplace

Published on Dec 1

Electricians necessarily work with electricity, which can result in very serious injuries. Injuries caused by contact with electricity can include electric shock, electrical burns, loss of muscle control and thermal burns.

Unsafe working is not only dangerous to electricians but also to their customers. Faulty wiring may not be immediately apparent but can be dangerous after the electrician has left your home. Even without faulty workmanship, electrical items around the home can be dangerous, for example, the RoSPA estimates that around 350 people every year are injured by Christmas tree lights. What this shows is that electricians need to work with extreme caution even for the simplest tasks to avoid accidents in the workplace.

A trainee electrician recently suffered serious injuries after being electrocuted whilst installing a ceiling fan. His employer had failed to manage the situation, where he would be working with exposed live bus bars. The trainee was not properly supervised and did not have sufficient training or the experience to be able to control the situation safely. His employer was prosecuted under the Health and Safety At Work etc. Act 1974 and fined £30,000.

He was lucky to have survived. The UK mains electricity supply is 230v which is enough to kill a person. 50 milliamps of current is enough to cause pain, paralysis and, after a few seconds, will disrupt the heart beat which may lead to death.  The higher the current, the quicker these effects will take place. A 40 watt light bulb uses around 150mA, which is more than enough to have an effect. Usually, exposure to current above 100mA is fatal. The HSE estimates that there are around 1000 electrical accidents at work every year and around 25 fatalities as a result of electrical injuries.

Any work on electrical equipment, such as maintenance, inspection, testing and repairs should only undertaken by somebody who has the appropriate qualifications and experience to be able to carry out the work safely. The HSE recommends that all work with electrical equipment is thoroughly planned, completed by competent and trained workers using the proper equipment and working to established standards and best practice. Work should never be undertaken on live electrical equipment unless it is impossible for the work to be done dead.

Electrical injuries are just one of the potential hazards for electricians. The HSE estimates that six electricians die every week as a result of exposure to asbestos. Electricians may also work with ladders, at heights and with complicated machinery, all of which can cause serious accidents in the workplace.

Earlier this year, an electrician fell from a ladder whilst working on a boat, fitting bilge alarms. He broke his back in three places, fractured his skull in two places and suffered nerve damage. The company who owned the boat had failed to provide the correct ladder. The company was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £2,028 costs but the worker affected has had to give up his work as an electrician as a result of his injuries.

As in any profession, care needs to be taken that workers are protected from accidents in the workplace and that they have the training, experience and supervision to be able to work with minimum danger.