Electric Shock

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KEY POINTS

• An electric shock happens when you have contact with an electric current and the current passes through your body. It can cause problems from mild discomfort to serious injury or death.
• The treatment depends on what part of your body is burned and how severe the injury is. A minor shock that only lasts a few seconds and does not cause any symptoms may not need first aid. You can save a person's life and prevent injury to yourself if you take proper emergency action when someone gets a more serious electric shock.

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What is an electric shock?

An electric shock happens when you have contact with an electric current and the current passes through your body. It can cause problems from mild discomfort to serious injury or death.

You can get an electric shock from anything that carries electricity, including:

• Contact with exposed parts of electrical appliances or wiring
• Lightning
• Power lines (above or below the ground)
• Electrical tools or machines
• Electric fences
• Taser devices used in law enforcement

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms depend on how strong the electrical current is, and how long you are in contact with it. Symptoms may include:

• Mild tingling
• Pain
• Skin burns
• Loss of muscle control or severe muscle spasms
• Trouble seeing or hearing
• Seizures
• Fast or irregular heartbeat or the heart stopping
• Difficulty breathing or stopped breathing
• Being knocked out (unconscious)

A severe electric shock can also cause internal damage. A person may look okay, but have a severe internal burn injury.

What is the first aid for electric shock?

A minor shock that only lasts a few seconds and does not cause any symptoms may not need first aid.

You can save a person's life and prevent injury to yourself if you take proper emergency action when someone gets a more serious electric shock:

• Do not touch or try to move someone who is touching a high voltage wire. Stay at least 20 feet away from the person until the power is shut off.
• The first step is to make sure that the electrical contact has been broken. Turn off the electric power by unplugging the appliance or flipping the circuit breaker. If you can’t turn the current off, use something that does not conduct electricity, such as a piece of wood, cardboard, a rug or rubber, to try to move the person away from the source of electricity. Be careful or you could also get a severe electric shock. Do not move the person unless they are in more danger from fire or an explosion. Call 911 or your local emergency service right away.
• See if the person can respond to you. For example, speak to or, if the person is free from the electrical contact, tap the person. If there is no heartbeat or breathing, start CPR if you have had CPR training.
• If the person is awake, pale or feeling faint, have them lie down with their legs slightly raised. Keep them covered with a light blanket or coat until help arrives. Do not move someone who may have a neck or spine injury. Moving the person may injure the spinal cord more and cause paralysis.

If the person is burned:

• Take off burned clothing that is not stuck to the skin. Do not remove clothing that is stuck to the burn.
• Remove jewelry or tight clothing from the burned area right away, before the skin starts to swell. Do not put ice water, butter, ointment, medicine, or spray on the burn.
• If the burn is small, pour cool running water over the burn or put cool moist cloths on the burn until there is less pain. Don’t use ice or ice water, which can cause more damage to the skin. Cover the burn with a clean, loose, dry bandage and get medical care. Do not use anything that is heavy or has loose fibers, such as a towel or blanket.

How is it treated?

The treatment depends on what part of your body is burned and how severe the injury is.

How can I help prevent electric shock?

To help prevent electric shock around the home:

• Repair or replace frayed electric cords.
• Do not plug too many things into the same outlet. This can overload electrical circuits.
• Install ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) on electrical outlets.
• Replace all two-pronged outlets with the 3-pronged type. It is not safe to use adapters to plug a 3-pronged appliance into a 2-pronged outlet.
• Childproof all electrical outlets with plastic plugs. Keep electric cords out of the reach of children.
• Keep electric appliances away from sinks, toilets, or bathtubs. Do not handle cords or electric appliances or plug anything into an electrical outlet while you are wet, or if the appliance is on a wet surface.
• Keep electric appliances, outlets, and light bulbs away from flammable liquids or products that produce vapors.
• Make sure that all power tools are grounded or double insulated. This means there is an extra barrier between you and the electricity.
• Make sure that children do not play or climb near electric lines on a power pole or where the lines enter a house.
• Stay clear of electric power lines when you are trimming trees or working in your yard.
• Don’t handle fallen wires. Report fallen wires to the police or local utility right away. If you are in a car and a wire has fallen on it, stay in the car and drive away if you can. If you cannot drive away, do not get out of the car. Call or wait for help.

To protect yourself from lightning strikes:

• If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance. Seek shelter right away in a safe building or vehicle. Safe buildings include your home, school, office building, or a shopping center. Stay away from picnic shelters, dugouts, sheds, and other partially open or small structures. They are NOT safe. A safe vehicle is a car, SUV, minivan, bus, or tractor with a hard top.
• Lightning can travel through the electrical, phone, plumbing, and radio or TV systems. Lightning can also travel through metal wires or bars in concrete walls or floors. When you are in your house during a storm:
  • Stay away from showers, sinks, tubs, and any pipes.
  • Stay off corded phones.
  • Also, avoid contact with electrical equipment or cords.
  • Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
  • Do not lie on concrete floors and do not lean against concrete walls.
  • Stay inside until 30 minutes have passed since you last heard thunder.
• If you are caught outdoors and can’t get to a safe shelter:
  • Stay away from tall, isolated trees or other tall and isolated objects.
  • Get to a low spot and stay at least 15 feet apart from other members of your group. If lightning strikes one person, others will be safe and able to help.
  • Keep your feet together and sit on the ground. Do not lie flat on the ground.
  • Don't hold anything metal, such as a shovel.
• If you are swimming or boating when a storm is approaching, get out of the water if you can. If there is no time to get onto land, stay low. If the boat has a cabin, go into the cabin.

Many local power companies have booklets available to help identify potential electrical home hazards. Call your local power company for more information.