Nonfatal Electrical Injuries<\/h2>\n
A total of 1,176,340 workplace injuries, including electrical and non-electrical injuries, occurred in 2020. Of these cases, 33.2% or 390,020 cases were categorized as other diseases due to viruses not elsewhere classified, which includes reported COVID-19-pandemic related illnesses. The rate for all nonfatal injuries resulting in days away from work attributed to electricity during 2019 was 0.19%, while in 2020, 0.21% could be attributed to electricity.<\/p>\n
The median number of days away from work for nonfatal electrical injuries was three in 2020, a 66% decrease from 2020. The median days away from work for direct exposure to electricity greater than 220 volts was seven days, followed by five days for indirect exposure to electricity 220 volts or less, and the median days for direct exposure to electricity 220 volts or less was three. Indirect exposure to electricity greater than 220 volts did not incur any injuries.<\/p>\n
The number of nonfatal electrical injuries varied between age groups in the workforce. Workers aged 25 to 34 had the highest number of injuries with 24%, followed by workers aged 20 to 24 and 35 to 44 both with 22%, workers aged 45 to 54 made up 16% of the injuries, workers aged 55 to 64 made up 7%, workers 16 to 19 years old made up 2%, and finally workers 65 years and older made up 1%.<\/p>\n
The length of service with an employer at the time of the injury also varied among workers. The highest percentage happened to workers who had been with their employer between one and five years at 32%, followed by more than five years at 31%, less than three months at 26%, and finally three months to 11 months at 10%. The weekday with the highest number of nonfatal electrical injuries included Tuesday with 33%, Thursday with 27%, Wednesday with 14%, Monday with 11%, Saturday with 8%, Friday with 4%, and finally Sunday with the lowest amount, 3%. The total shift length also affected when a nonfatal injury occurred. The hours with the highest percentage of accidents were between four to six hours with 32%, followed by two to four hours with 15%, six to eight hours with 10%, one to two hours at 9%, eight to 10 hours at 4%, less than one hour at 2%, and finally 10 to 12 hours at 1%. Twenty-seven percent of incidents did not report the hours worked.<\/p>\n
The occupation with the highest percentage of workers involved in non-electrical injuries was \u201cInstallation, Maintenance, and Repair\u201d with 31%, followed by \u201cService\u201d with 25%, \u201cConstruction and Extraction\u201d with 21%, \u201cProduction\u201d with 11%, \u201cTransportation and Material Moving\u201d with 5%, and \u201cManagement, Business, Financial\u201d with 2%. \u201cSales and Related,\u201d \u201cHealthcare Practitioners,\u201d \u201cTechnical, Computer, Engineering and Science,\u201d and \u201cOffice and Administrative Support\u201d all had 1%. Sixty-five percent of fatalities occurred in service-providing industries, while 35% occurred in good-producing industries.<\/p>\n
The industries with the leading number of nonfatal electrical injuries included \u201cAccommodation and Food Services\u201d with 22%, followed by \u201cConstruction\u201d with 20%, \u201cWholesale Trade\u201d with 17%, and \u201cManufacturing\u201d with 14%. Electrical shocks accounted for 1,610 of the nonfatal electrical injuries, while burns accounted for 620.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Contact with or exposure to electric current accounted for 2.6% of all workplace fatalities in 2020, a 19% drop from 2019 and a return to 2017 levels. Electrical fatality rates were 0.09 fatalities per 100,000 workers in 2020, which is a 22% drop from 2019, compared to a rate of 3.5 per 100,000 workers for all fatalities and all occupations. The mining industry had the highest rate of fatal electrical injuries in 2020, 0.8 fatalities per 100,000 workers, followed by the construction industry, 0.6 fatalities per 100,000 workers. The fatal injury rate for all industries was 0.1 fatalities per 100,000 workers. In 2020, 5.3% of all electrical incidents were fatal. \u201cConstructing, Repairing, Cleaning\u201d accounted for the leading worker activity for electrical fatalities at 64%. \u201cUsing or Operating Tools, Machinery\u201d accounted for 22% of electrical fatalities.<\/p>\n The number of electrical fatalities varied between age groups in the workforce. Workers aged 25 to 34 had the highest number of electrical fatalities with 33%, followed by workers aged 34 to 44 with 21%, workers aged 45 to 54 had 18%, workers aged 55 to 64 had 17%, and 7% of electrical fatalities occurred in workers aged 20 to 24. Hispanic or Latino workers accounted for 40% of electrical fatalities, a 24% increase over 2019. These workers also account for 18% of the workforce.<\/p>\n Thirty-three percent of all electrical fatalities occurred at a private residence. Industrial places and premises accounted for another 31% of fatalities. Streets and highways accounted for 13%, public buildings accounted for 8%, and farms for 7%. Private industry accounted for 154, or 94%, of the electrical fatalities.<\/p>\n The occupations involved in electrical fatalities included \u201cConstruction and Extraction Occupations\u201d with 44% of the total fatalities, \u201cInstallation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations\u201d with 20%, \u201cBuilding and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations\u201d with 13%, \u201cTransportation and Material Moving Occupations\u201d with 6%, \u201cManagement Occupations\u201d with 5%, and \u201cFarming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations\u201d with 3%.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite a drop in overall workplace fatalities in 2020, there was a 17% increase in nonfatal workplace injuries. This data proves that more work needs to be done to prevent these tragic incidents. The majority of occupations getting injured are non-electrical with little or no electrical safety training. All workers should be provided electrical safety training whether they work directly with electricity or not. This training, coupled with safe work practices, will help decrease the 6.4 workplace injuries that occur daily. For free materials, you can share throughout your workplace to keep yourself and your employees or coworkers safe, visit esfi.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/iaeimagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2022-05-ESFI-FIG1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Fatal Electrical Injuries<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Preventing Future Workplace Injuries<\/h2>\n
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