Fatal electrical injuries at work

Report: NFPA's "Fatal Electrical Injuries at Work"
Author: Richard Campbell
Issued: May 2018

Report

Fatal Electrical Injuries at Work

Occupations that routinely involve electrical work are the most obvious populations at risk for electrical injury, but virtually any environment that utilizes electrical equipment or is conducted near electrical installations may involve exposure to hazardous energy. This report provides an overview of fatal electrical injuries at work in 2012-2016.

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Report highlights

• 739 died from exposure to electricity.
• By occupation, workers in construction and extraction occupations (47%) and installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (22%) accounted for the largest number of deaths.
• 80% of fatal injuries from direct exposure to electricity occurred while workers were engaged in constructing, repairing, or cleaning activities.
• Workers who were fatally injured as a result of indirect exposure to electricity were most often engaged in construction, repairing, or cleaning activities (37%) or were using or operating tools or machinery (32%) at the time of injury.