An electric shock occurs when an individual’s body connects with an electrical source. Each year, a large number of workers are injured in electrical shock accidents.

The exact damage caused by this type of shock can vary with the most severe cases resulting in serious injuries and even fatalities. In a large number of cases, individuals who are harmed in electric shock accidents might be eligible to receive compensation for their injuries.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports there was 6,000 fatal work accidents related to electricity between 1992 and 2013 and there was over 24,000 non-fatal work injuries caused by electricity. Electrical current was the 7th leading cause of work-related deaths between 2003 and 2010. Some professions that are most at risk are electricians, power-line workers, utility workers, appliance repair workers and HVAC workers.

There are many ways in which electric shocks occur including:

  • Defective Products. Manufacturers are obligated to make sure that only reasonably safe products are provided to consumers.
  • Industrial Accidents. Unsafe work conditions including failure to follow safety protocol, inadequately maintained equipment, and overloaded circuits can seriously injure workers.
  • Overhead Power Line Accidents. Power companies have a responsibility to take precautions to prevent individuals from being seriously injured during accidents. There are a number of ways, however, in which workers can be shocked by power lines.
  • Underground Power line Accidents. Dig Safe should always be called before construction at a job site starts.

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Types of Electric Shocks and The Degree of Injury They Can Cause

Electric shock accidents can be classified into two categories. Direct current shocks make a victim’s muscles involuntarily contract which in turn makes it impossible for the victim to unclench his or her fist or let go of an object that is transferring the electricity. Alternating current shocks cause serious damage to a victim’s heart as well as other internal organs. In addition to these types of injuries, the victims of electric shock also experience brain damage, broken bones, cardiac arrest, kidney damage, muscle damage, nerve damage, spinal cord injuries, soft tissue injuries, paralysis, thermal burns, and ventricular fibrillation.

(1,000 milliamperes = 1 amp; therefore, 15,000 milliamperes = 15 amp circuit)

  • Contact with Anything Below 1 milliampere cannot be felt
  • Contact with 1 milliampere results in a Faint tingle
  • Contact with 5 milliampere results in minor shock being felt; it will disturb but not cause pain
  • Contact by women with 6 to 25 milliamperes in pain and a general loss of muscle control
  • Contact by men with 9 to 30 milliamperes could result in freezing or inability to unclench or let-go
  • Contact with 50 to 150 mlliamperes causes immense pain, respiratory arrest, possible death
  • Contact with 1,000 – 4,300 milliamperes results in nerve damage likelihood of death
  • Contact with 10,000 milliamperes burns, cardiac cessation, probable death

Massachusetts Electrical Accidents and Workmans’ Compensation Attorneys

Our Brockton workers’ compensation attorneys are able to secure the following benefits for injured workers and their families when workers sustain injuries for accidents that occur within the scope of the workers employment: Partial disability benefits, temporary total disability benefits, permanent and total disability benefits, death benefits, scarring and disfigurement benefits.

If you or a loved one is harmed by electric shock, do not hesitate to contact a skilled Boston Electrical Shock Accident Lawyer. Our Massachusetts Electrical Injury Attorneys represent the residents of Plymouth County including Brockton, Plymouth, Bridgewater, Marshfield, Hingham, Duxbury, Wareham, Abington, Rockland, Whitman, Hanson, Middleborough; Norfolk County including Quincy, Stoughton, Dedham, Weymouth, Braintree, Avon, Holbrook, Randolph, Canton, Sharon, Brookline, Franklin; Bristol County including New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Mansfield, Easton, Raynham, Norton; Cape Cod, Falmouth, Barnstable and the Greater Boston area including Cambridge, Lynn, Revere, Everett, Lawrence, Dorchester, Roxbury and Somerville.