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.