Working Safely Around Electricity Stats and Facts

FACTS

Common Electrical Hazards

  1. Damaged equipment and power tools
  2. Frayed, loose or exposed electrical cables.
  3. Using electrical equipment near water or with wet hands
  4. Overhead power lines
  5. Incorrect use of replacement fuses
  6. Overloaded sockets
  7. Smoke and smells from equipment.
  8. Improper grounding

STATS

  • According to the CDC’s NIOSH, the construction industry comprises approximately 8% of the U.S. workforce, yet it accounts for 44% of job-related fatalities. Consider the statistics:
  • Electrical hazards cause more than 300 deaths and 4,000 injuries each year in the U.S. workforce.
  • Electrocution is the sixth cause of workplace deaths in America.
  • It’s estimated that 62 agricultural workers/yr. die from electrocution in the U.S., with overhead power lines being the most common source.
  • Electrocutions kill an average of 143 construction workers each year.
  • Electrical workers suffered the highest number of electrocutions per year (586 or 34 % of the total deaths caused by electrocution), followed by site laborers, carpenters, supervisors of nonelectrical workers, and roofers.
  • More than half the electrocutions of electrical workers were caused by direct or indirect contact with live electrical equipment and wiring, including lighting fixtures, circuit breakers, control panels, junction boxes, and transformers. In other words, those deaths could have been prevented if proper lockout/Tagout and de-energizing procedures had been followed.
  • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Washington, D.C., estimates there are approximately 350 electrical-related fatalities a year, which roughly equals one fatality per day. In addition, statistics from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Atlanta, show electrocution is the third-leading cause of death at work among 16 and 17-year-old workers, accounting for 12 % of all workplace deaths.
  • In addition, The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data indicates 2,726 nonfatal electrical shocks involved days away from work a year in private industry.