Electrical Injuries

Direct contact with electricity can injure you in ways that may not be visible. External injuries are skin burns. Internal injuries can include damage to organs, bones, muscles, and nerves — and dangerous heart rhythm problems or sudden cardiac arrest. You may have one or both types.

How bad the injury is depends on the strength and type of the current, how it passed through the body, how long the exposure lasted, and how quickly treatment is given. Your overall health matters too.

Common causes include:

• Faulty household wiring or appliances
• Contact with high-voltage lines — a major cause of fatal electrocution in India, including during floods when loose wires lie in waterlogged areas
• Work-related exposures (construction, electricians)
• Lightning strikes
• Young children biting or sucking electrical cords, or inserting objects into sockets

If someone has had an electric shock: do NOT touch them while they are still in contact with the source. Switch off the supply at the mains, or push them away with a dry wooden stick or a plastic object. Once the person is clear of the current, call for help — dial 112 — and start CPR if they are not breathing. Even people who seem fine after an electric shock should see a doctor; internal damage may not be obvious at first.