Fatality & Injury Statistics

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles data about electricity-related incidents in the workplace that resulted in fatalities and injuries.

Electricity can be lethal. Electrocution, which is, by definition, always fatal, accounted for the deaths of over 5,000 workers in the period spanning 1992 to 2010. Almost half of these electrocutions (44 percent) were the result of accidental contact with uninsulated overhead power lines. Other major causes of electrocution included contact with energized wiring, transformers, or other electrical components (27 percent); and shock from the electrical current present in machines, tools, lighting fixtures, or appliances (17 percent).

Electricity can also cause injuries. Serious shocks and burns occur from contact with electricity. An electrical shock can also cause an individual's muscles to contract, and this, in turn, can result in dangerous falls from ladders and other elevated locations. During the period from 1992 to 2010, an approximate annual average of 3,500 electrical injuries were recorded.

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