Causes of electrical deaths and injuries among construction workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chowdhury R ; Hunting KL ; McCann M ; Murawski J ; Welch L
• Description:
  Background: Contact with electrical current is the fourth leading cause of deaths of construction workers. This study evaluates electrical deaths and injuries to construction workers. Methods: Two sources of data were analyzed in detail: (1) 1,019 electrical deaths identified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) for the years 1992-1998; and (2) 61 electrical injuries identified between November 1, 1990 and December 31, 1998 from a George Washington University Emergency Department injury surveillance database. Results: Contact with "live" electrical wiring, equipment, and light fixtures was the main cause of electrical deaths and injuries among electrical workers, followed by contact with overhead power lines. Among non-electrical workers, contact with overhead power lines was the major cause of death. Other causes included contact with energized metal objects, machinery, power tools, and portable lights. Arc flash or blast caused 31% of electrical injuries among construction workers, but less than 2% of electrical deaths. Conclusion: Adoption of a lockout/tagout standard for construction, and training for nonelectrical workers in basic electrical safety would reduce the risk of electrical deaths and injuries in construction. Further research is needed on ways to prevent electrical deathsand injuries while working "live". [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Construction Industry Construction Materials Electric Injuries Electricity Emergency Responders Mortality Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Accident-potential Accident-statistics Accidents Arc Flash Author Keywords: Construction Construction Construction-equipment Construction-industry Construction-materials Construction-workers Electric-power-transmission-lines Electrical-equipment Electrical-hazards Electrical-safety Electrical-workers Electrical Injury Electrocution Electrocutions Emergency-treatment Injuries Injury-prevention Lockout/Tagout Mortality-data Mortality-rates Power-tools Safety-education Safety-practices Surveillance Surveillance-programs Training Traumatic-injuries Work-practices

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Maryland ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  398-406
• Volume:
  43
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041014
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2003 Apr; 43(4):398-406
• Contact Point Address:
  Michael McCann, CIH, 77 Seventh Avenue, #PHG, New York, NY 10011
• Email:
  michael.mccann@att.net
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  Center to Protect Workers' Rights
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19940930
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20000331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:88af564d9b76df65ac9d63a75b501524a9b1f6f4135a3b2ab1b4f7ec167bfaf2bcb4a0c022866b6473e86545d37b46a476d4ef540d7195a3f683dd50b27ff10e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193688/cdc_193688_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 111.05 KB ]