STATISTICS

Electrical Injury and Trauma Resources

  • According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, electrical injury has been responsible for an average of 320 deaths and over 4,000 injuries that involved days away from work per annum in the United States.
  • Electrical injury is the second leading cause of fatality in the construction industry, and it makes up 5 to 6% of all occupational fatalities.
  • Out of injuries caused by contact with overhead powerlines, 26.4 to 60.3 percent of cases resulted in over 31 days away from work (verses 18 to 20% for all other occupational injuries and illness).
  • 78% of a sample of electrical trauma survivors were found to have one or two psychiatric diagnoses, such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, cognitive disorder NOS, or mental disorder NOS. (JINS 2006 12:17)
  • Electrical injury mortality rate is 3-15%, resulting in 3-5 deaths/million inhabitants of Europe. The survivors' long-term consequences are more frequent, with 25-70 percent of accidents resulting in amputations & neurological sequelae in young adults. (Lancet 2004 363:2136)
  • Electrical injuries' cost to employers has been approximated as $15.75 million per case in direct and indirect costs. (Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA)