With the amount of electrical accidents rising over the years we are becoming more familiar with tragic stories on the news about electrical related accidents.  

People that work near overhead electricity lines and cables are more likely to suffer from injury or death if the lines aren’t monitored correctly.  The most common way electrical cables cause accidents is when a vehicle is driven into the power line.  Most recently a lorry driver suffered serious electrical burns while delivering to a farm and as a result he lost one of his arms and part of his skull. It appeared that the body of the lorry touched an 11,000 volt overhead power line causing this surge of electrify to flow straight through his body.

Another common cause of electrical accidents is when electrics are not maintained properly such as switchgears and other electrical equipment.  The reason this happens is simply due to the lack of training or because their work has not been assessed after it has been completed.  One example that appeared in the news was when an employee received a huge electric shock when he picked up a cable that he was trying to fix by applying insulating tape, however these wires were live and were connected to a generator.

Many builders are faced with the risks of buried power lines while carrying out work on sites, some during the construction process others during maintenance of a building. During excavation a labourer received burns to his body and an arm after he damaged a 415 volt electric supply; the reason for this fault was that the builder did not use a locator when advised to do so.

Accidents frequently happen when equipment is used in explosive areas when equipment has not been properly maintained.  An employee received burns when he was cleaning a double insulated drum which contained acetone exploded. The employee turned on the stirrer switch and this therefore caused the electrical explosion.