About 1,000 people per year in the United States suffer fatal electrocutions. Most of those incidents occur in industrial or construction accidents. But there are still a significant number of accidents that occur in or near the home. In most cases, electrocution deaths are preventable, caused by bad wiring, carelessness near live sources of electricity, or curious children who played with wall sockets or frayed wiring.
The severity of injuries from electricity are determined by the current (DC or AC), the amount of current (the source voltage) and the path the electricity can take.
Anything less than 500 volts does not usually result in death for adults, but lower-voltage accidents can injure children fatally. In one study, children younger than 12 suffered 63 percent of electrical injuries from frayed cords or extension cords, with sticking objects into wall outlets accounting for 15 percent of the incidents.
The human body can conduct electricity easily, which is why direct contact with electrical currents can be fatal. When you come into contact with a current, it can cause injury in three ways, stopping the heart (cardiac arrest); destroying nerves, muscles and tissues; and causing severe thermal burns. Even the mildest of shocks is unpleasant and can result in headaches and other medical issues.
Because electricity flows through your home and drives most of the world in the form of lighting, it’s wise to be aware and make your children understand its enormous danger. Interacting with electricity has serious, often fatal, consequences, and instilling that knowledge in your children early and often is part of helping prevent electrocution accidents before they happen.
Here are six hidden electrocution risks in and outside the home:
1) Stray voltage -- A 14-year-old girl was electrocuted in 2006 simply while touching a metal safety fence at a church softball game. It seems that a damaged underground cable was leaking, sending 280 volts of electricity through the conductive fence she leaned against. Then there’s the Seattle woman who was walking her dog through her neighborhood. The dog stepped on a metal plate and began shaking in a manner akin to a seizure. He was being electrocuted by a bad wire connection. In both cases, the deaths were attributed to stray voltage. It can make common objects -- even those not made of metal -- come alive with electricity. From manhole covers to roadway fences to sidewalks, all have electric wires buried beneath them. When they fail, the power can escape, creating what’s known as contact voltage hazards.
2) Electrical appliances -- It’s recommended that you follow all manufacturer safety instructions when using electrical appliances to avoid shocks, and never use anything electrical when showering or wet. Keep electric items away from running water, and never reach down to grab something that’s plugged in if it falls into water (like a hair dryer). Worn-out appliances are a major problem with electricity. Frayed wires can cause a power arc when plugged in, causing injury, or you may accidentally touch the exposed parts of the wiring.
3) Hot tubs, home spas and pools -- Another source of electrical injury is a hot tub or home spa. Faulty underwater lighting, frayed electrical wires, sump pumps gone bad, broken power washers and faulty pool vacuums are among the most frequent causes, along with appliances or extension cords that contact the water. Manufacturers urge owners to inspect in and around pools, spas and hot tubs, looking for irregularities and make sure that all receptacles, lights, and switches have Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters.
4) Wall outlets – Though not hidden, wall outlets cause a surprising number of serious or fatal injuries to children. Children should never be allowed to use electrical devices without supervision, and should be taught never to stick anything into an outlet without an adult supervising. Child safety plugs are recommended for households with very young children.
5) Power Tools – Tools account for about 10 percent of consumer electrocutions, most of them from contact with wires while using them. As with appliances, frayed wires and damaged power cords are largely responsible. It’s wise to inspect your power cords and the tool connections each time before you plug in and begin working with them. If you touch the damaged cord while the tool is plugged in, you will conduct the electricity into your body, often with fatal results. Hazards may come from frayed or damaged power cords. If a cord is damaged, don't use the tool until the damage is repaired. You can electrocute yourself by grabbing the damaged portion of a cord while the tool is plugged in. It’s also wise to avoid using power tools when you are in a wet area, avoid drilling into a wall section without knowing what is behind the wall, and be careful when using a power tool to cut down branches or hedges in an outdoor area. If you cut through the cord while using the tool, there could be dire consequences.
6) Light fixtures – The National Fire Protection Association reports that lighting equipment accounts for 9 percent of electrocution deaths and 28 percent of fires. Installing new fixtures is not a job for amateurs -- hire an electrician. If you must do it yourself, it is always a smart idea to double and triple check that the power is turned off before you begin work. Even if a light bulb breaks, you need to be cautious about removing the broken bulb. Make sure the power is turned off, because even without a light bulb, electricity flows in the fixture.
Avoiding electrocution is easy if you follow the rules and take extreme caution when near a potential source of electricity. Most accidents happen because of reckless or careless behavior.